Kindness Week is celebrated every year to dedicate a full week to treating people with kindness and compassion. The celebratory time is coordinated and run by the journalism staff, headed by English and journalism teacher Mrs. Jennifer Chandler for “at least ten years,” according to the educator.
Teachers and students were recommended to give shout-outs to each other for a raffle and display. For example, junior Kora Niebel shouted out history teacher Mr. Charles Selfe by saying, “Mr. Selfe is a great person in general. He is inspiring and very interesting in teaching, adding his own humor into the lesson, which makes it a lot more fun. I really look up to him.”
She adds, “He doesn’t shove anything down our throats, and lets us explore our own opinions and how we view the things we’re being taught. He gives us a real perspective on life, and he is very authentic and genuine. I really hate when people don’t pay attention, because I know he wants to see us all succeed. For that, I am very grateful to have him as my teacher.”
Senior Toluwanise Oje shouts out math teacher Mrs. Alison Austin because she “makes class fun, and even though the work is hard, she makes you want to get a better grade. [Her class is] probably the best math class I’ve ever had.”
The week of celebration lasted from Monday, April 15 to Friday, April 19. Each day had a theme. Monday marked “Somewhere Over the Rainbow,” in which sticky notes with shout-outs and affirmations were written and stuck to a rainbow display for the whole school to see. Tuesday emphasized, “Caught ‘Ya Being Kind.” Over the course of a week, staff members were asked to ‘catch’ students being kind. Those students were entered into a raffle, where they won assorted prizes.
Wednesday was “You’re My Reason” day, where students thanked each other, staff, and the NH community as a whole for all that they do at our school, while Thursday, “Chalk the Walk,” had the journalism staff, tennis team, softball team, and track teams all come together to decorate the sidewalks in the front and side parking lot. Friday was Earth Day, where the Wear and Share was hosted along with the other booths. Multitudes of clothes were donated and given out for free; all remaining items were donated to a charity in need of clothing.
Responses from students rate Kindness Week from “Okay,” to, “Really fun!” Chandler states that she enjoys the week – which came to fruition after she and English teacher Mrs. Carla Harward went to see a motivational speaker. The speaker explained that often, people focus more on the negative things students do – which, Chandler adds, is a “very small minority,” – and not on what they do positively. Overall, Kindness Week is an opportunity to show kindness to those in our building and the surrounding community while also “engaging” students in a positive way.