Kindness is afloat at Salem Middle School. Written examples of good will are displayed on a giant wave mural in the school hallway, thanks to the Kindness Club.
The theme, “Fins Up for Kindness,” is an homage to the school’s shark mascot.
One student wrote about picking up a classmate’s dropped binder, while another helped a friend with homework. Some complimented kind friends and family members.
The club distributed paper shark fins to staff and students before Winter Break. They asked for notes about kind acts witnessed at school, something done for others, a kind person in their life, or how kindness affects school culture. More than 200 responded.
Kindness Club members attached the messages to the eye-catching wave display during the first meeting of 2024.
Art teacher Jennifer Mazur helped start the school’s Kindness Club about seven years ago and is a sponsor with English teacher Kimberly Williams and school counselor Molly Koch.
The club aligns with the school mission statement and motto, which includes helping each student develop into a successful, ethical and contributing member of society. The group supports ethical choices and is committed to kindness as a central character trait, Mazur said.
“Members are kindness ambassadors,” she added. They work together to spread and show kindness at school and home and build a positive atmosphere within their school community.
Seventh-grader Patryk Nartowicz explained why he joined the club.
“I wanted to make people’s day and make new friends,” he said. “It feels great to see another person happy.”
Each monthly meeting kicks off before school with members writing an “I hope you have a happy day” message for someone else. Patryk said his teacher smiled when he presented her with a note of gratitude. Member Makenna Beldon said she wrote to her social studies teacher because he’s nice, helpful and caring.
The club hid kind notes in library books and celebrated World Kindness Day in November by chalking the school sidewalk with positive messages. They sponsored a spirit week and encouraged students to spread kindness in a variety of ways, such as “smile at everyone you walk by” and “introduce yourself to two new people a day.” They plan to use paint markers to draw kind heart-themed messages on windows in the school foyer for February.
Other Virginia Beach City Public Schools have implemented Kindness Clubs, including Larkspur Middle. They meet every other Tuesday to brainstorm ideas on how to promote kindness at school. Their hand-painted kindness rocks are displayed near the school entrance, and they’ve also created kindness posters. Handwritten messages on sticky notes were also placed randomly throughout school.
Kindergarten teacher Anne-Marie DuPont helps lead the Kindness Club of more than 30 second through fifth graders at White Oaks Elementary School. They wrote notes and drew pictures for local veterans for Veterans Day and created a kindness construction paper chain displayed at school during the holidays. They also plan to make Valentine’s Day cards for a local nursing home.
Salem Middle seventh-grader Eva Dixon said the club has helped her recognize when people are unkind to one another. “Sometimes I step up to moderate with friends,” she said.
“School could be a better place if everyone was kind to each other,” Eva said. “It doesn’t take much to make someone else’s day.”
