Boyce celebrates kindness
Brenna Levkulich, Addie McCallum, Mila Finnegan, Teagan DePuy, Claire Dietker, and (lying on floor) Kate McClintock-Comeaux pose in front of the sign as they celebrate Random Acts Of Kindness Week.
Boyce Middle School students dressed up in their favorite team jerseys during Random Acts of Kindness week. From left are, front, Jillian Caseres, Eva Dittoe, Sydney Tomczak, Addi Kotyk, Mina Hellman, Gianna Flood; back, Grace Nasman, Abby Meyer, Kat Bakshi, Claire Scurman, Harper Bogue, Angie Amorose, Vada Schott, and Lyla Doak.
Students and teachers swapped places, dressing accordingly, during Random Acts of Kindness Week, held at Boyce Middle School in Upper St. Clair. Pictured are Miss Thomas and Aanya Agrawal.
Boyce Middle School students Olivia Garret, Sophia Coleman (front with green tie), Brooke Renk, Jemma Polochak, Lily Evans and Ava Morgan participated in Random Acts of Kindness Week recently. On this particular day, students dressed up like their parents.
Ella Wu, Violet Leimkuehler, Paige Krzywicki, Amy Homer, Kayla Berrott, Charlotte Worner, Megan Sweeney, Gracie Harris celebrate Random Acts of Kindness Week by wearing pink.
The students and staff at Boyce Middle School celebrated Random Acts of Kindness (RAK) Week recently.
Led by school counselors Amy Antonio and Tonia Autieri, the week highlighted the extraordinary power of simple human kindness.
“We have celebrated Random Acts of Kindness Week at Boyce for the past 20 years,” Antonio said. “Each year, we make changes to our programming and theme to fit the current students’ needs and interests.”
This year’s theme was “Be the I in Kind!”
A large wall display encouraged students to celebrate their own acts of kindness. Students could sign their name on Post-It notes that recognized the numerous ways they make their school and the world more awesome.
Examples included: pick up trash in the hallway, call a relative to say hello, say thank you to the bus driver and help parents with dinner.
Various theme days highlighted the week. They were:
Monday:
- Show some heart and wear red.
Tuesday:
- Kindness makes the world go round. Wear gear from a favorite vacation spot.
Wednesday:
- Kindness makes a difference. Students dressed like their teachers while teachers dressed like their students.
Thursday:
- There is no I in team, but there is an I in kind. Participants wore their favorite team jerseys.
Friday:
- Dream of a world filled with kindness. Since there was no school, students were encouraged to wear PJs all day.
“The students loved dressing up for theme days. They will ask me … what does dressing in my favorite vacation gear have to do with kindness? Nothing,” Antonio said. “It was just a reminder that it was RAK Week.
“So, when they tell their parents they have to wear a suit or dress for make a difference day … and the parents ask why … they will tell them it is for RAK Week. They love getting their pictures taken too. It just adds more spirit to the week.”
Mentors from the high school visited classrooms one day during the week. They led a kindness activity.
“Hearing the importance of kindness from a ‘cool high school student’ is incredibly impactful on our middle school students,” Antonio said.
RAK Week also included two community service projects. Students collected boxes of cereal to benefit the South Hills Interfaith Movement (SHIM). In addition, more than $2,000 was raised to support the Education Partnership through Valentine Grams.
“Throughout the year, we recognize kids for positive behaviors by awarding them with a Boyce Pride or through our Panther Program,” Antonio said. “But RAK week really drives home the point of the importance of a simple act of kindness, and that kindness inspires kindness. Most importantly, we want them to know that one person – even if they are only in fifth or sixth grade – can really make a difference.”
The Random Acts of Kindness Foundation is a nonprofit organization that invests its resources into making kindness the norm.
The RAK Foundation is rooted in the belief that all people can connect through kindness and that kindness can be taught.
Visit: https://www.randomactsofkindness.org/ to learn more about the group.