Building A Culture of Kindness Under the Pines

Small acts of kindness can be powerful as they have a ripple effect that can spread positivity and make differences in people’s lives. This superpower was harnessed by the Middle School Student Council in the recent launching of a Kindness Campaign.

Under the advisement of Middle School Director Brian Christman and science teacher Paulomi Aldo, the Middle School Student Council hosts different events and activities around campus throughout the year. During a meeting to brainstorm new ideas, the topics of community, friendship, and the importance of being kind became talking points. Those discussions turned into action and the Kindness Campaign was born.

“Being kind and treating others with respect is one of the easiest things to do,” said seventh grader Linnea Carlson and eighth grader Nate Moschetto. “We wanted to do and create something that encourages students to be kind to one another and to themselves.”

The first act of kindness began with the creation of a sticker that was placed in every seventh and eighth grader’s locker. With the help of Mrs. Aldo, the students designed a sticker with the tagline of: Real Likes > Reel Likes. The message reinforced the idea that real life is more important than what happens on social media. The other acts of kindness were personalized, hand-written notes by each member of the Student Council. The notes contained words of encouragement, motivational messages, and highlighted positive qualities and were placed on students’ lockers as a visual reminder to uplift others.

While the Kindness Campaign will conclude once the students leave for March break, Mrs. Aldo noted that she hopes the initiative remains within the Middle School community as a whole and acts of kindness are a daily routine for students. She said she would also like to implement the campaign at the beginning of next school year.