What would happen if a kindness revolution happened in an elementary school? The Bible mentions kindness 200 times. 200! That seems like a pretty important lesson. Most notably, the Fruits of the Spirit are love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. Our elementary school students sing about the Fruits of the Spirit in chapel. 

“We began thinking about how we could positively encourage students to be kind to each other,” PS-8th grade principal Justin Horne said. 

Rising 5th grader, Luke Gulo, has been caught being kind on many occasions.

Three years ago, the elementary school launched the program “Caught Being Kind.” The idea was simple: catch kids being kind to one another and they would get a kindness card. Once 100 students were “Caught Being Kind” the entire school celebrated.

It created a ripple effect. It turns out, simple acts of kindness lowers stress, helps with classroom behaviors, and creates Christ-centered relationships. 

Every Monday, kids who were “Caught Being Kind” were recognized during the morning announcements and put a sticker on a chart outside of the office. “I think this is a really positive way to build a Christ-centered community,” Justin Horne says. “We are teaching our students to model Christ-like behavior and put our Discipleship Practices of Relationship-Building and Peace-Making into action.”