Small acts of kindness can be powerful. They have a ripple effect that can spread positivity, promote empathy and even make tangible differences in people’s lives. This superpower was harnessed by Grade 7 Middle School students recently, who launched a Kindness Campaign that culminated in a Kindness Fair on March 10.

“My hope for this campaign is that students learn about the far-reaching effects of kindness and that it spreads throughout the community,” said Huiman Cheng, Middle School Vice Principal.

At the beginning of the campaign, students formed small groups to work on a project to promote kindness. It was entirely up to the students to formulate and develop their ideas, and then to ultimately present their projects at the Kindness Fair to Grade 6 and 8 students.

“The teachers were minimally involved. From finding their own original idea to working together and making it happen for the fair, it was all the students' doing!” said Gabriel Dejean, Middle School teacher.

At the Kindness Fair, students’ ideas for spreading kindness were interpreted in a multitude of ways: some students chose to set up games with prizes, others sold sweet treats and donated the proceeds to charities of their choosing. There were also free hugs and high fives, fortune telling, live caricature drawings, a positive message wall, origami to gift to others, and many other creative ways to spread good vibes and smiles.

"It was great to see all the Grade 7 students excited about the different ways in which they could be kind to the Middle school community. The different kindness booths on display was a testament to this and you could feel the kindness in the air as the Grade 6 and 8 students walked around the MS Gym and received encouraging messages, stickers, hugs, high-fives, candy and many smiles. We hope this kindness continues throughout the MS and our whole WAB community," said Mr. Marnitz, MS Teacher.

The Kindness Campaign and Fair are connected to WAB’s I-DEAS strategy, which promotes inclusivity and kindness. As a school whose four key rules are “respect yourself, respect others, respect the environment and practice kindness”, this campaign reflects our caring school culture.

“Kindness Fair was a way for our 7th graders to lead by example by helping to create a sense of belonging and connection among their peers. It was an amazing way to lead into our next SEL unit, relationship skills,” said MS Teacher Rachel George.

Other upcoming plans for spreading kindness include a Student Council-run campaign involving designing logos, showing movies, and putting together a concert to further encourage students to be kind to each other and themselves.

“I learned that small acts of kindness can bring warmth to people,” said Middle School student Sophie H. after attending the fair.

We’re excited to see how students continue to spread positivity through the community.