Theresa Dardanell

Emmitsburg Elementary School (EES) students, parents, and staff celebrated kindness together on February 21, 2018. The tables in the cafeteria were transformed into craft stations, where families worked together on kindness-themed items to share.

At the “Kindness Rocks” station, rocks were creatively decorated, and they will be placed in the Sebastian Gagliardi Memorial Garden in front of the school. Kindness to others was the theme of the “Kindness Card” station, where everyone decorated cards that will be sent to military personnel and children in hospitals. Other stations included materials provided to make picture frames, bookmarks, door hangers, and other items, by adding positive and encouraging sayings like: You are special, You are kind, and You are a great friend. A station dedicated to being good to wildlife contained craft items to make simple bird feeders.

Kindness Week at EES began with a challenge for the students to complete as many kind deeds as possible. Students were given a checklist of suggestions: smile at twenty-five people, say “thank you” to a volunteer, help someone if they fall down, and invite a new friend to play. School Counselor Sarah Fawley said that this event provides an opportunity for the students to be leaders by being respectful, responsible, and kind.

Steven Moore with his son, Liam Moore, and Ashley Stanley with her daughter, Aubrey Stotler, are shown painting kindness rocks.

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