School Creates 'Kind Kids Club' To Praise Being Nice

Random acts of kindness are flourishing at one Antelope County school thanks to an initiative spearheaded by the students.

Orchard Public School created the Kind Kids Club this semester, and students are busy filling each other’s buckets with kind words and actions. First-grader Braelyn Bergman said filling someone’s bucket isn’t really hard.

“It means to be nice people,” Bergman said. “If they drop their books, you can help pick them up.”
The students said it makes them feel good to help others, whether its holding the door open or asking them to play at recess.

“We want to fill someone else’s bucket,” said Abbi Miller.

“And your own!” chimed in Ellie Heiss.

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Teachers Cheryl Schwager and Sierra Summers are sponsoring the new student group and said the idea stemmed from a conversation on New Year’s resolutions.

“When they started listening the things they wanted to do, everything was really just about being kind to one another. Not cutting or getting into people faces,” Schwager said. “I told them that all of those things are really just being kind to one another.”

​That’s when the Kind Kids Club was formed. They meet every Friday to discuss the act of kindess for the next week. Among the different things they want to do is collect toys for the shelter. This week they made Valentine’s Day cards for a second grade class from Arkansas that was asking for valentines from across the U.S.
“Being kind doesn’t cost a thing. Well, maybe just a little postage,” Schwager said.

Summers said among the goals of the group is to remind everyone to look for the good in people and praise it. One of the best parts, she said, is that the students are recognizing each other, not themselves.

“They’re coming to tell me about someone who held the door for someone else, so they’re excited what kind things everyone else is doing, too,” Summers said.

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As the students fill their buckets, they are putting paper snow balls on the walls of the school to show just how much kindness they have.

The students admitted that sometimes they do dip their buckets, but they’re trying very hard to be kind and fill each other’s bucket.

Dylan Gray said being kind doesn’t have to happen just at school though. He said there are ways to be kind to your parents, too.

“You can ask them how their day went. If they tell you to help out, you can do that. You can do your chores,” he said.

Jenni Mejia-Moncada agreed and said there are lots of places to fill buckets. “They can happen at home too, sleepovers, the pool, anywhere,” she said.

Schwager said she’s excited by the number of students wanting to be part of the Kind Kids Club. After all, she said, not just anyone can join. She said the students are interviewed about why they want to be part of it and ways to be kind.

“We really started the Kind Kids Club because we want to change the world with kindness,” she said. “We have a lot of great kids at our school, and being kind is a great message for everyone. They wanted this club, and I’m excited to help remind the kids to look for the good in each other.”

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