Lauren Estes-Velez

Hartselle Enquirer

The Great Kindness Challenge is a proactive bullying prevention initiative designed to improve school climate and increase student engagement. Priceville Junior High participated in the Great Kindness Challenge Jan. 22-26.

The weeklong challenge is devoted to students performing as many acts of kindness as possible on campus. Using the provided checklist of 50 kind acts, students accept the challenge and show the world that kindness matters.
According to PJHS counselor Kelly Gates, the process is easy. The school is required to provide a copy of the kindness checklist and ask classroom teachers to distribute the checklist to each of their students. Using the kindness checklist, the students work independently, in small groups or as a whole class to complete all 50 challenges.
All students can participate in the challenge, schoolwide.
“We are doing dress-up days and a kick-off rally,” Gates said. “I have purchased items for each student to wear (like silicone bracelets and stickers) and to use (like pencils) as reminders of kindness. Those were purchased through a grant from the Morgan County Schools Foundation and from Arthur Orr.

“We have community members involved and local churches and parents,” Gates added. “We also made thank-you notes to teachers, local fire and police.”