Spreading kindness throughout the Ottoson Middle School community got 2024 off to a good start! Throughout the week of January 22-26, the school took part in The Great Kindness Challenge (GKC), an international initiative that aims to get young people thinking about, and participating in, acts of kindness. During this time, Ottoson was one of thousands of schools across the country that focused on creating a culture of kindness that prevents bullying and leads to unity and respect inside the building and beyond.
The GKC got started on Monday with the showing of the Kindness Kick-Off Video during ASPIRE. The students were encouraged to use the Checklist of Kind Acts that was posted in their Google Classrooms and do as many acts of kindness as they could throughout the week. The list included simple things that could be done throughout the day such as smiling at 25 people or saying good morning to 15 people, as well as others that required more time such as doing a video chat with a grandparent or esteemed elder or painting a rock and leaving it somewhere to surprise someone.
Student involvement increased on Tuesday as everyone was encouraged to find and submit their favorite Kindness Quote. A Kindness Station was set up in the Lobby and everyone was encouraged to stop by during lunch on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday to help create Kindness Chains of kind acts that they had pledged to do.
The first selected student quotes were read during announcements on Wednesday, and this practice continued over the next 2 days. Here are the quotes that were shared:
Wednesday was also the day designated as Hold the Door Day and everyone was encouraged to do this for their classmates and teachers. Teacher Appreciation Day on Thursday had students write notes to their teachers to demonstrate how much they care about them. Friday was New Friend Day and students were asked to introduce themselves to a classmate they didn’t know.
Friday was also the day that the large Kindness Paper Chain that had been growing throughout the week was displayed in the lobby. This year’s observance of The Great Kindness Week was led by interns from the Counseling department, and School Counselor Nanci Siegel reports that they did a great job!
