WILTON – With colorful hearts to prove it, there’s a whole lot of kindness going on at Academy Hill School.
Following the Sandy Hook School massacre in Newtown, Conn. on Dec. 14, 2012, the students and staff at the Wilton school wanted to do something to honor the victims.
“The students, especially the older, fifth and sixth-grade students were really upset,” teacher Suzanne Loring remembers following the news reports. She thought an act of kindness idea of dealing with the tragedy might help, so she challenged the school’s students to reach 1,000 acts.
The 200 students in grades 3-6 took the challenge on and got into the act.
Cutouts of colorful paper hearts were placed next to an “act of kindness” collection box in the main floor’s hallway. There were classroom discussions.
“We met and brainstormed on what you can do to be kind,” Loring said. A poster with a list of kindness suggestions hangs in the hallway above the box.
Students then would write their kindness on a heart and put it in the box. Loring started to hang the hearts up, with more and more hearts coming in as more and more kindness acts were performed.
Loring’s special education students made dog treats and delivered them to the animal shelter. They made treats for the backyard birds. They made sunshine cards that brought a special compliment to its receiver. Snack bags were assembled and given to those students who didn’t have any. The tissue paper flowers her students made brought spring a little early to the school.
Students wrote essays using the prompt: “What kindness means to me,” which were then read aloud by the authors in their classrooms. Shelly’s Hometown Market in East Wilton helped celebrate the essays by donating a pizza to each classroom.
Just two months to the day – appropriately enough on Valentine’s Day – the school reached its 1,000th heart. All 1,000 hearts with little kindnesses written on them dot the main entrance to the school.
Everything from helping around the house by washing dishes to letting a lady bug go, is on proud display. Reading them today, Loring smiled and said, “I was very touched by everyone’s effort.”
The exercise in kindness awareness fits in neatly with Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports, a multi-tiered system of support for behavior, launched in schools across the Mt. Blue school district, as with much of the state and country, Loring said.
And it’s something that’s proved so popular, the students have asked to keep going.
“I’m proud of them all,” she said.
What a wonderful idea! Kudos to all.
Thanks for your leadership, Suzanne! This endeavor made us all feel good!
YES! What a bright spot in our community. This is a beautiful example of how contagious kindness can be. What a great opportunity for all schools to get kids thinking and sharing about how one small act of kindness can inspire another. Somewhere, there is a tiny ladybug saying ‘thank you!’
I extend my thanks to AHS, Suzanne, and these amazing kids for sharing this with us all.
What a good idea!
This is an awesome report!! It is so nice to see something good in the news. Great job Mrs. Loring and students!!!
What a wonderful life lesson. Thank you, Mrs.Loring.
Nce Nice Nice,,,
What a beautiful thing! It should inspire us all to remember the impact our actions can have on each other. This is a perfect example of something meaningful coming out of even the worst tragedy. Great job, Suzanne and students!! You should all be proud.
Would that we could all hold this thought and act on it every day in a small way…………….!. Thank you for teaching it to those children
Such a beautiful idea from such an amazing woman. What a proud daughter I am!