Kindness Week Returns

Nicole Bagala ‘20

Staff Writer

Kindness Week at BHS

    Kindness Week is back, running from February 11-15 and everyone is busily preparing for it, especially the Kindness Committee.

    The Kindness Committee is made up of students from all grades in BHS and is run Assistant Principal, Ms. Lerz, Library Media Specialist, Ms. Wismar, Guidance Counselor, Mrs. Mason and three seniors: Audrey Garcia, Anne Habeck and Camryn Walsh.

    Kindness Week started last year and was successful in raising money for the Tamburino family to help Mr. Tamburino, who is fighting ALS. This year, funds raised during Kindness Week will benefit the Scotty Fund.

    “Our main goal is to promote kindness throughout our school and community and to raise money for a great cause,” said Ms. Lerz. “For the Scotty Fund, each grade will adopt four families and donate items they can use and gift cards for gas, food, toys and clothing, which will be given to them on Friday during the assembly.”

    Along with gift cards, the money raised from the Bethel Runs on Kindness T-Shirt purchases will be presented to them at the assembly. During lunch waves, Penny Wars will be going on.      

    Each grade has a collection bottle where they can donate their spare change to help support The Scotty Fund. Coins added to the jars will help each grade earn points. Pennies are worth one point, nickels are worth five points, dimes are worth ten points and quarters are worth 25 points. However, dollar bills added to collection jars will deduct points from the other grades. $1 is worth -100 points, $5 are worth -500 points and $10 bills are worth -1000 points.

    At the end of the week, the points will be tallied and counted toward the overall standings of each class in the “Kindness Games”. Whoever has the most points wins. Another way to gain points during Penny Wars donations is to purchase Kindness Week Swag for $1. So get your spare change ready!

    Garcia and Habeck were on the Kindness Committee last year and enjoyed the experience so much that they decided to run Kindness Week this year as their Capstone project. To change it up from last year, they created different days to represent different forms of goodwill.

     Monday, Feb. 11 will be Bethel Runs on Joy; students will wear yellow, watch the video about the Scotty Fund Families and learn about the Family Basket Drive during their advisories. Tuesday will be Bethel Runs on Positive Energy; students will wear green, watch the Gift Card Drive video and do an energetic activity in their advisories. Wednesday will be Bethel Runs on Friendship; students will wear purple, and join other advisories to do Let’s Mix It Up Activities. Thursday will be Bethel Runs on Love; students will wear red, have a moment of silence for the anniversary of the Stoneman Douglas High School shooting in Parkland, FL and write kind letters to students and faculty members. Family basket items and gift cards will also be due. Friday is Bethel Runs on Kindness; students will wear their Bethel Runs on Kindness T-Shirts, have an assembly in the gymnasium, watch the Kindness Week Slideshow and Scotty Fund Video, meet the families and handout the Kindness Week awards.

    The Kindness Committee’s hard work will impact the Scotty Fund families, the Bethel community and the BHS community.

    “Kindness Week has affected me because it reminds me of how important kindness is within everyday life; how a simple smile can turn your day around,” says    Habeck. “When people are kind to me, I am in turn kinder to others. This ripple effect has changed me and I hope that it changes others.”

    Be kind, BHS!