Students spread random acts of kindness
Hay River students shelter animals, babysit and volunteer for Princess Alexandra School project on giving back
Shane Magee
Northern News Services
Monday, February 29, 2016
HAY RIVER
Students in a Grade 6 class at Princess Alexandra School set out to carry out random acts of kindness earlier this month.
Their acts came ahead of Random Act of Kindness week which ran Feb. 15 to 20.
When Abbey King's classmates began talking about kindness in February and what good deeds they could carry out, she knew what she'd do.
King, 12, said her father works in Yellowknife a lot, so she lends her mom a hand taking care of her siblings.
"I have three other siblings so I have to baby-sit and help out," King said.
King was one of the students in Stephanie Patterson's Grade 6 class working on a health unit that delved into kindness.
Patterson said she was talking about what it means to value something and what's important in a person's life, such as kindness.
The class-wide project saw other students in her class suggest things such as holding doors open for people, helping open a vehicle door for someone carrying groceries, lending money to someone in need or helping carry the books for an injured schoolmate who is using crutches.
"They really liked it. They liked talking about what they can do for people," Patterson said.
"I saw a lot of connection between talking about what's important to them and realizing they're important to someone."
Giving a dog without a home a loving place to stay is the act Mason Walters, 11, plans to carry out.
"I thought it was a good thing for me and for the animal," he said about why he made that choice.
Hailey Bassett, 11, was able to carry out her random act while in Yellowknife the weekend of Feb. 14.
She said she bought a
coffee for someone who didn't have money while in the city for a basketball tournament.
"They really liked it," she said.
What did the students take from the acts they've carried out?
"I like it because we should always get a change to do something kind for other people," King said.
"It's good to see people happy and know that they're loved," added Bassett.
"It makes me happy and I think it makes someone else even happier," Walters said.
They all said they plan to do more acts of kindness in the future.
