Barnegat Students Get An 'A' In Kindness

BARNEGAT, NJ — Barnegat Township School District (BTSD) students recently received an “A” in kindness after participating in activities that showed their concern for each other and their community.

The district participated in Random Acts of Kindness Week, held nationwide from Feb. 11 to 17, encouraging students to perform various tasks and reflect on the acts of kindness that have positively impacted their lives, while becoming inspired to offer similar gestures to those around them, according to a district news release.

Each school in the district held events to highlight the importance of being kind, including hosting daily Spirit Week activities throughout all schools, decorating coffee cup sleeves with motivational designs for a local Wawa to distribute, creating a positivity board, having special guests visit to teach valuable lessons on the impact of kindness, and much more.

“As educators, we strive to lead by example and teach our students to show respect and consideration for each other every day,” says BTSD Superintendent Brian Latwis. “During Random Acts of Kindness Week, we have the opportunity to put a focus on taking the time to reflect on and recognize the importance of these values, and the impact encouragement and support can make in our lives.”

Students participated districtwide but the kindness was doubled at Joseph T. Donahue Elementary, where students participated not only in acts of kindness but also incorporated their 100th day of school celebrations with 100 different acts of kindness. Each homeroom class thought of several acts of kindness they could do during the week, completed these good deeds, and then the students wrote them on heart-shaped signs and displayed them in the main hallway.

The preschool students at Lillian M. Dunfee School celebrated Spirit Week with the elementary schools, and decorated coffee cup sleeves for Wawa located on West Bay Avenue. They also participated in a No Place for Hate activity which included watching a video and reading a book called “We’re Different, We’re the Same.”

Cecil S. Collins Elementary School students made kindness certificates that recognized their teachers which will be hung on classroom doors throughout the remainder of the month. The students also received little surprises throughout the week, such as stickers, Bengal Bucks to use at the school store, and special announcements.

Local anti-bullying advocate Anthony DeFranco, who is deaf, visited with the second graders at Collins Elementary to help make videos teaching sign language as part of their No Place for Hate and Barnegat C.A.R.E.S. Character Traits campaign. These videos will be edited into short videos to share with students, reinforcing each positive character trait of the month.

“I am so excited to be working on this project with my No Place for Hate ‘kidmittee’ members and Anthony DeFranco,” said Collins Elementary school counselor Sarah Brier. “Mr. DeFranco promotes a strong message of going beyond kindness and truly understanding and accepting one another. Through all of this, we saw what an asset Mr. DeFranco is to our community and our students. We recognized an opportunity to partner with him in helping to create the inclusive, welcoming environment we strive to have here in Barnegat.”

Each class also made thank you cards with special messages for DeFranco, who spearheaded the project that brought Buddy Benches to the schools, on what his contributions have meant to them. Four handcrafted benches were donated and placed throughout the district earlier this year to represent and foster inclusivity and kindness among students.

Along with participating in spirit week, the student council at the Robert L. Horbelt Intermediate School started the morning right by giving special kindness announcements each day. Their messages coincided with the spirit days, which were:

• Monday: Work Out Your Problems with Kindness by wearing athletic and workout attire
• Tuesday: Share the Spirit of Kindness by wearing New Jersey sports spirit wear
• Wednesday: Wear Red for Valentine's Day
• Thursday: Find 100 ways to be Kind for 100th day of school
• Friday: Be Warm and Fuzzy Friday by wearing pajamas

Students at the Russell O. Brackman Middle School wrote optimistic notes and words of encouragement on a positivity board that is displayed for all to read as they walk through the hallway. Each day the board was erased and new messages were created.

Lastly, Barnegat High School teachers nominated students for a Certificate of Kindness when they were observed doing a good deed. Students could also nominate their teachers for the honor when displaying random acts of kindness. The certificates were handed out throughout the week.

To learn more about the Barnegat Township School District and other ways the district participates in anti-bullying campaigns such as No Place for Hate and other projects, visit barnegatschools.com.