Have you ever arrived to class, sat down, and suddenly realized that you forgot your pencil at home? You search through your bag for a writing utensil. After no luck, the person next to you sees the panic in your eyes and reveals their spare pencil, just for you, in all its glory. That right there, is a random act of kindness.
These moments have the potential to put the biggest smiles on our faces. Even if these acts of kindness feel small, their impacts are great. We spoke with a couple students and staff in the Jackson-Reed community, asking if they had experienced any recent acts of kindness they wanted to share. Here’s what we heard:
Junior Maya Knoll was on a journey in search of something to fill her empty stomach. Her stomach grumbling, she walked down to the cafeteria to try and see if someone would be kind enough to spare food. As she approached the cafeteria counter, Maya asked if the custodians or cafeteria workers had any extra food. The cafeteria workers were happy to help and, soon enough, Maya was given a full bag of freshly washed, bright purple grapes. A smile across her face, she brought them back to math class and shared them with her table group. This act of kindness not only cured Maya’s hunger, but also brought joy to the students in her class.
Speaking of math class, math teacher Elana Horowitz also experienced a random act of kindness recently. Horowitz arrived at a coffee shop and was asked by a barista how she was. She couldn’t help but answer honestly. After telling the barista that she was overwhelmed with everything going on in her life at the time, the barista was empathetic towards Horowitz’s struggles. The barista handed her the coffee for free, putting a smile on Horowitz’s face. Horowitz remembers this moment with fondness towards the barista, because not only did she get a free coffee, but a stranger had extended kindness to her when she needed it most.
Our last kindness-receiver we spoke to was Colette Bernards, a dedicated actor in the Jackson-Reed theater community. During our school’s most recent play She Kills Monsters, Bernards played a mean cheerleader, acting her heart out. Clearly, she did an incredible job because one of her classmates unexpectedly decided to go support her in the show. Bernard was especially touched that this same classmate sent her a message after the play congratulating praising her role in the show. So, the next time you are considering sending someone a nice message or if going to Jackson-Reed’s next show is in your plans for the future, we say go for it!
These are just a few examples of the kindnesses experienced everyday by students and staff at Jackson-Reed. Just one decision to be kind can make someone’s day, week, or even year. Spread the kindness this holiday season and beyond as it makes the world, and especially our school, a better place!
