Conshohocken Elementary takes part in The Great Kindness Challenge

While many of Colonial School District’s schools were holding pep rallies for the Philadelphia Eagles, Conshohocken Elementary School recently held a pep rally to build excitement for being kind. The pep rally kicked off The Great Kindness Challenge, which is a national event held the last full week in January that encourages a positive school environment by challenging the students to complete up to 50 items on a list of kind things to do. The items varied from smiling at people, sneaking an encouraging note into a friend’s backpack and saying thank you to picking up trash, making a new friend and reading a book to a younger child. “People were making hearts and giving them to other people,” said third-grader Jailynn Brewer. “That was one of our things to do: cut out ten hearts and give them to ten of your friends.” In addition completing the items on the list, the students took part in daily activities, and “kindness matters” was the subject at their morning meetings at the beginning of the school day. At recess, parents hosted a “kindness table” where the children could write thank you letters or make signs. Third-grader Eleanor Hormell noticed a change in the students at her school even after the weeklong challenge was over. “It gave them more ideas how to be kind to people,” she said. Staff plans to use the lessons from this challenge to keep the message that “kindness matters” a top priority throughout the year.