Our first Be Kind team meeting seems to be a success. During this meeting we had a lot of collaborations between students and staff who were able to share many great ideas for ways we can be kind, what kindness means to them, and how we can uplift it across our school community. People spoke honestly about how equal partnership shows up, which included balanced participation, active listening, and respect for all voices. The group identified clear strategies to address imbalances, such as openly acknowledging when one side’s voice begins to dominate, using anonymous forms to bring up concerns, and creating space for quieter participants to contribute.
Students and staff came up with creative ideas to encourage everyday acts of kindness. Suggestions were a Box of Affirmations, peer mentorship activities, designated “kindness days,” posters highlighting positive actions, and immediate responses to unkind behavior so issues don’t go unchecked. As a team, we decided to move forward with a school-wide Shout-Out System: five kindness boxes, one for each grade and one for staff. Students and staff can submit shout-outs either using paper slips designed by the student team or digitally through a Google Form. Either daily or weekly, FAB News will pull out shout-outs from each box to celebrate, and selected names will be added to a monthly “Kindness Hall of Fame” wall. Staff members recognized through this system will have a poster created for them and students get Fashion Dollars for their acts of kindness.
We plan to start in January, with weekly shout-outs beginning the first week of February. The team’s big goals are to reach 200 shout-outs by Spring Break and 450 by June 1st. Roles have been assigned where students are leading design, promotion, and form creation, while staff members are securing materials and access to key school spaces and platforms. Through these collective efforts, we aim to track our progress by hitting strict deadlines, reviewing submission counts throughout the semester, and making sure the Kindness Hall of Fame and shout-outs remain active, engaging, and representative of our entire school community!