“Nice matters.”
Just ask the students at Shaw Road Elementary, which has adopted the theme this year as part of a schoolwide kindness campaign.
Students
are acknowledged at schoolwide assemblies for their kind acts and are
surrounded by inspirational quotes about being nice to others on their
school walls and bulletin boards.
Principal
Judy Piger and the staff also regularly promote the theme by wearing
T-shirts with the message “Because Nice Matters” printed on the back.
The
school Diversity Team took the theme one step further by organizing a
school outreach program that pairs students with the elderly in a
yearlong community service project.
“This
was a way to give back to the community and make students aware how
they can spread kindness to other people,” said second-grade teacher and
school Diversity Committee member Mary Baker.
Every
month since November, several students representing each of the classes
in a particular grade level spend an hour after school visiting with
residents at the Puyallup Nursing and Rehabilitation Center.
The
student “ambassadors,” selected by their teachers for being positive
role models, also present the residents with student artwork created by
themselves and their classmates.
In
early February, students passed out artwork that featured different
styles and colors of hearts, including some in the shape of ladybugs and
caterpillars, in advance of Valentine’s Day.
Sixth
grader Ally Kindig said she decided to participate after her teacher
told her class, “It would make them (the residents) really happy.”
Ally
and her classmates chatted and shared art with residents waiting for
their dinner in the main dining room before being escorted by the center
staff to meet with some of the residents in their rooms.
As
they moved from room to room, residents asked the sixth graders
questions ranging from what they liked best about school to how long it
took to complete the art project.
“For
many of these students, it’s their first time going into a nursing home
environment,” Baker said. “We talk to them before the visit about how
to introduce themselves, how to shake hands and make eye contact, and
what kinds of disabilities they might see. They are great kids, and very
accepting.”
Students
are accompanied on the monthly visits by their parents, who transport
their children to the activity, as well as several teachers, the
principal, and members of the center staff.
“This
is so meaningful for the residents,” said Rochelle Rogers, activities
assistant at Puyallup Nursing and Rehabilitation Center. “It really
warms their hearts.”
Resident
Doris Klein paused to carefully eye the artwork and then said, “Well
children, thank you. They really had you go into detail, didn’t they? I
congratulate your teachers for what they have taught you.”
Resident
Robert Bartlett added, “You guys study hard. It’s very, very important
to get a good education. And please, go to college!”
The
monthly community service project is often tied to school lesson plans
or activities such as a family heritage unit in first grade or the
schoolwide Grandparents Day celebration in January, Baker said.
The
visits are also registered as one of the school’s March Gladness
community service projects. March Gladness is an annual districtwide
effort that encourages students in all 32 schools to serve their
community.
As
the Shaw Road Elementary students wrapped up their visit and headed for
the front door, several residents waved goodbye from their beds and the
hallway, many of them still clutching the student artwork that they
would eventually hang on their bedroom walls.