Have you been wondering what the posters around school are for? Well, I certainly have been. As I have been going from class to class, getting food at the cafeteria during lunch, or just grazing our campus, I’ve noticed all sorts of posters and signs promoting kindness. There’s a large piece of art hanging on the B building that is super neat and caught my eye. In the cafeteria there is a large tree with a bunch of little hearts surrounding it. This entire campus is being hugged by positivity and kindness.

I got some pictures of the things I’ve seen that I thought our newspaper should highlight. Also, this begs the question: What is all of this for? Why is there all of this art?

Well, this week was Random Acts Of Kindness Week. This week ties into the “February Kindness Challenge.” There’s more information on the specific days in February and what they entail here: https://www.cusd80.com/site/Default.aspx?PageID=93745, but some interesting ones stood out to me.

February 6th: “Text or email a friend, parent, teacher, etc. and directly ask what you can do to make their day easier—then do it!” 

February 22nd: “SMILE—At everyone, anywhere. :)”

February 26th: “Look through your closet or around your house today for clothing and toys you could donate.”

To tie this entire week together, on Friday we had speaker Tyler Durman come for an assembly to end RAK week on a high note. Tyler speaks to over 200,000 students yearly, sharing his message of how students can get their lives on the track they desire. Our own Nate Rowan on how Tyler’s words personally affected him:

“I could really relate to what he said on not letting emotions build up. I’ve always tried to hide any negative emotions from those around me, believing it would change how they think of me. Tyler helped me to realize that it’s okay to share my struggles with those who are close to me; it makes struggle much easier to deal with. I’m not alone; I don’t have to face down those demons myself.”

So even though RAK week is over, that doesn’t mean that the kindness and happiness should stop. It is always good to exude positivity everywhere you go for whatever reason. This week was hopefully sparking the flame and it’s up to you, and us as the school, to keep the fire going. You must know how it feels to be down, and even just giving somebody a smile can perk up their day.

Have a wonderful day, Knights.