Caught! Being kind

BY SARA KEDDY

Kings County Register

The halls and playground at Somerset school were patrolled last week - not by security, but by the “Kindness Crew” and teachers with an eye out for caring acts.

Grade 5 and 6 students on the crew worked on a number of activities to mark 2BK Week - To Be Kind, May 20 through 23. They kicked things off with an assembly with a kindness rap, skits on peacemaking, helping out and including others; a song for the week, posters drawn by schoolmates and advice on how to earn a “caught you caring” note.

“They’re similar to the ‘gotchas’ we pass out for students doing good deeds, but we want to see how many we can get out in all the classes this week for caring,” said guidance counsellor Janet Edwards at the assembly. “We’re hoping to see you helping other people carry in a big load at the door, or encouraging people when you’re playing ball and someone misses a shot: ‘Good try! You’ll get the next one!’

“It’s about being nice to the people around you.”

Edwards says the kindness week is copied from one down in the entire city of Ottawa last year, where police actually passed out citations for kindness instead of offences.

“It’s positive reinforcement for getting along with others, caring and having respect for others,” she says. “It’s prevention.”

She hopes to see other schools adopt the idea: she’ll run the same project at Cambridge elementary, where she also works, this spring.

Somerset students organized the assembly, created a mascot and came up with a theme - “choose to be kind” - and some on the Kindness Crew will also be authorized to pass out “caught you carings.” Bookmarks using student poster art for the week will also be passed out for extra special actions.