“Kindness has the power to turn a bad mood into a good one for everyone involved.”
That’s just one take away from Kindness Initiative rallies that took place at McMahon School last week, led by the 365Z Foundation and school counselors. During each assembly, students and staff worked together to craft a definition of “kindness” that will be used at McMahon for the rest of the school year.
Staff then entertained and engaged students through skits that—while humorous—sparked thoughtful reflection and conversation. Students shared their takeaways with one another, learning together the role that being kind plays in a strong, caring community.
“Being kind can be hard, especially when life is hard,” said school counselor Amber Bracey, “so we want students to realize that it always feels good to be kind.”
Following the conversations, McMahon staff honored the first group of “Kindness Ambassadors,” students selected for recognition by their teachers due to their daily embodiment of kindness. The selected ambassadors will be a part of future brainstorming for how the school can better recognize and implement kind practices. They will later pass their role (and their sashes) to the next group of ambassadors who will be selected later in the year.
This is just one of the new practices that McMahon is instilling to recognize kindness more often throughout the year. The assemblies also introduced Kindness Citations, which staff are encouraged to give to students when they “catch them being good.” Citations will be sent home with students so their families will know how their actions at school are making a positive impact at McMahon School.
The 365Z Foundation is a Worcester-based non-profit that provides ideas, guidance and resources designed to encourage, inspire and challenge individuals to perform conscious acts of kindness.