The week before February break is Kindness Week. It has become an annual tradition at Alden High School to promote good deeds and compassion throughout our building. It is recognized in coordination with “National Random Acts of Kindness Week” across the United States. The Friends of Rachel Club and SADD Club host the event.

During the course of the week, teachers will be giving out kindness tickets to students who are seen being helpful and caring. Students can enter their tickets for a chance to win a prize in daily sweet treat drawings. “This is a little reward for being a kind-hearted person,” says Mrs. Tanner, SADD Club adviser. Those who receive a ticket should write their name on the back and place it in the red box in Mrs. Marko’s room 130.  Everyone is encouraged to spread compassion by complimenting one another, holding the door for someone, helping out another student with a math problem, etc. Friends of Rachel and SADD will be providing more tips on how to be kind during the week.

In addition, on Valentine’s Day, club members will be decorating halls, lockers, and stairways with positive compliments and quotes. The Foreign Language Clubs will also be assisting by making signs and positive greetings in Spanish and French. Club members hope that this will make people’s day a little brighter by making them smile and feel appreciated.

Another event of Kindness Week will include a lunch mural, following the success of the turkey mural at Thanksgiving. Students will have the opportunity to write down examples of how they show kindness or ideas about how to make someone happy. The mural will be displayed outside the cafeteria.

Kindness Week is a great reminder to continue to practice the five aspects of Rachel’s Challenge:

1. Look for the best in others.
2. Dream big.
3. Choose positive influences.
4. Speak with kindness.
5. Start your own chain reaction.

Although random acts of kindness only receive special emphasis and recognition during this week, it is hoped that the chain reaction of compassion will have a long-lasting impact on our school environment. Mrs. Tanner stated “In life, we can’t control a lot of things and that can be hard, but we can control how we treat others. Life is better when everyone treats each other in a positive way.”