A caravan of kindness

Students of John Russell Elementary School in Moscow have been visiting their peer schools in the city on a mission to spread kindness.

For the past couple of weeks, Russell students have visited Lena Whitmore, McDonald and West Park elementary schools as well as Moscow Charter School, bearing signs with words of encouragement in an effort to spread goodwill and solidarity in a turbulent time.

Russell Principal Craig Allen said the effort is part of a national program called the Great Kindness Challenge but it also neatly personifies the school motto: “You’ll never walk alone.”

“This is our first time ever — it felt like a good year for it — and after this year it’s definitely going to become an annual thing,” Allen said. “The timing of reminding people of kindness is perfect — it follows up with Martin Luther King and Human Rights Day very well.”

Thursday Morning, a handful of “ambassadors of kindness” from Russell delivered their messages to West Park Elementary and assembled a construction paper sign decorated with tissue paper and framed with plastic piping that read “Choose Kindness,” on the school’s front lawn. Other messages delivered directly into the hands of waiting West Park students bore illustrations and slogans like “We are nuts about you, West Park,” and “You’re the rainbow in our sky,” most ending with the signoff, “Love, Russell.”

Eleven-year-old Russell student Jack Allen, Principal Allen’s son, said the ambassadors received warm welcomes at the other schools they visited.

“We went to Lena Whitmore and they gave us a nice reaction — lots of them were yelling ‘thank you,’ ” Jack said.

“They’ve been really happy and kind,” added 9-year-old Russell student Chevelle Hornbuckle.

“I liked making the project and helping with it because it was fun and I love giving and helping,” she added.

West Park Principal Brian Smith said the message was particularly effective because Russell is kind of like a “big brother or big sister” school to West Park. Smith said after students attend kindergarten through second grade at West Park, they’re sent to Russell for grades 3 through 5.

“It’s a really cool moment for them to come down and be leaders and mentors for our students,” Smith said.

Allen said Russell’s two weeks of participation in the Great Kindness Challenge has resulted in some projects promoting positivity within the school itself. He said students have been tracking their acts of kindness throughout the day. He said it has become common for students to brag to him about making new friends or holding the door open for someone. He said the challenge officially ends today but the impression of the program on students will last much longer.

“The students are spending this week making messages of kindness to their friends within the school and to their parents that we’re going to send home with report cards,” Allen said. “The way they’ve lit up as they recognize those acts of kindness is amazing.”

Scott Jackson can be reached at (208) 883-4636, or by email to sjackson@dnews.com.