The Morongo Unified School District joined over 20 million students in 40,000+ schools this week in participating in the 13th annual Great Kindness Challenge!
The Great Kindness Challenge, presented by the global nonprofit Kids for Peace, was launched with three Carlsbad, California schools in 2012 to address bullying and to foster connection, inclusion and compassion. The annual program has multiplied in enrollment each year, having grown to over 20 million students in 40,000+ schools, reaching across all 50 states and 115 countries.
Participating schools and students were given a checklist filled with intentional acts of kindness. Students were encouraged to complete each kind act over the course of the week, as well as participating in additional events like a Kindness Challenge Spirit Week!
Some of the items on the checklist include: smile at 25 people, help your teacher with a needed task, read a book to a younger student and sit with a new group of kids at lunch. Big or small, every act of kindness makes a difference.
“Valuing kindness promotes positive relationships, improves well-being, creates a positive ripple effect, strengthens communities, enhances empathy, improves mental health, encourages positive communication, contributes to personal growth, strengthens values and ethics and promotes a positive society.” said Morongo USD SELPA Director Heidi Burgett.
The SELPA office took-part in the challenge. On Wednesday morning SELPA staff “sprinkled sunshine” to families at Twentynine Palms Elementary School. SELPA staff held signs with slogans like “You Matter” and “You are a Good Parent” for parents as they dropped off their students.
Other participating schools included Joshua Tree Elementary School, Twentynine Palms Elementary School, Oasis Elementary School and Twentynine Palms High School. Each site held their own spirit week with dress-up days that promoted specific acts of kindness. For example, Oasis Elementary School invited students to wear workout clothes on Thursday to encourage the bobcats to “workout” their problems.
“Let’s make kindness the hallmark of Morongo USD; whether it’s a warm smile, a kind word, a supportive gesture, each kind act contributes to the inclusive and uplifting atmosphere we strive for in the Morongo Basin,” said Superintendent Dr. Patricio Vargas.
You can learn more about the Great Kindness Challenge at www.greatkindnesschallenge.org.