Winslow Township Mayor presents a Kindness Proclamation to School No. 1
WINSLOW TWP. -- The youngest students of the Winslow Township School District learned they are up to the challenge of kindness during the week of Jan. 9-13, when Winslow Township School No. 1 celebrated the nationwide Great Kindness Challenge (GKC).
"When you're kind, you can make friends and you won't be alone," said Winslow Township School No. 1 second-grader Brent Barr. "I tell people that they're strong and they can do it. If everyone was kind, there would be no arguments and everyone could get along."
The week kicked-off when Winslow Township firefighters, police officers, and emergency medical service personnel formed a kindness tunnel to greet students as they entered school on Jan. 9. Throughout the week, guest readers, including first responders and county freeholders, visited the school to celebrate kindness. All week long, the students participated in kindness activities including Spirit Days, events at a Kindness Station, and more. Students often created cards for their peers or staff during lunch. Students who completed a checklist of activities got to pick a prize from a Superhero box, which included items such as pencils and erasers.
The week culminated with Winslow Township Mayor Barry Wright presenting the school with a Kindness Proclamation on Jan. 13.
The initiative at School No. 1 was led by School Counselor Siobhan Funches, who discovered it online by chance. "We challenged our students to perform as many acts of kindness as they can in one week, but I want to extend this all month and all year. I just want the students to like it."
"It is very important for the fire department and other emergency services to be involved in the community, not only when there is a problem, but any time we can make an impact. We have so many resources that we bring to the table to form a positive bond with the all the members of the community," said Marc S. Rigberg, Chief of the Winslow Township Fire Department. "It is especially important that we show the youth that there are various members in the community that they can look up to and perhaps even aspire to be."
The GKC is an innovative bullying prevention initiative in which students do as many acts of kindness as possible from a 50-item checklist over a one-week period. GKC encourages a culture of kindness on campuses to stand up to fear and violence, encouraging students to demonstrate that kindness matters. The challenge was created by Kids for Peace in 2012, and has grown to include more than five million students in all 50 states; it is provided to schools at no cost through the aid of sponsors.
This item submitted by Julie Bonette, Laura Bishop Communications, for Winslow Township School District.