Great Kindness Challenge

Small acts of kindness will be visible all over campus next week as Lowell takes part in the Great Kindness Challenge from Jan. 23-27. During the challenge, students pledge to perform as many acts of kindness as possible. Last year over 5 million students participated nationwide. Activities are planned for all three divisions this year. 

 

Middle School students will buddy up and exchange kindness posters. The posters will celebrate the individuals they are made for and are meant to reinforce the idea that everyone needs a cheerleader. School Counselor Malikkah Rollins wants Middle School students to know this: "The more we feel supported by others, the happier and more successful we can be." 

 

Armed with kindness checklists, Primary School students will perform random acts of kindness throughout the week. The checklist includes ideas such as “lend a pencil to a friend,” “whisper thank you to a librarian,” and “tell a joke to make someone laugh.” There will also be a mailbox set up for students to send thank you postcards to adults in the main building. 

 

Pre-Primary School planning is still underway, but one class will document and display the acts kindness that they observe.

 

A Peace March in honor of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., will spread the message of kindness beyond the school walls. Third-5th graders will take part in the march on Wednesday during Gathering time. Students will head up Kalmia Road, down 16th Street, and around Jonquil Street holding signs and banners with messages of peace and kindness. 

 

PP-5th Grade Counselor Jolana Roberts, who served on the committee that organized the week’s events, explains that the Great Kindness Challenge embodies many of Lowell's core values—from "emphasizing children's’ individual voices to encouraging in-depth thinking about problems on a local and global scale through experience-based learning opportunities." Jolana continues, "Everyone is very excited about next week, and they are also looking forward to keeping the Great Kindness Challenge efforts going."