What is this #BeKind thing?
What is this #BeKind thing you are seeing around our schools? The #BeKind Program at Kearney Public Schools was started as a supplement to our Social-Emotional curriculum. It’s a fun program intended to make our schools and our community a kinder place to be. Funded solely by community donations, #BeKind at KPS involves a marketing and social media campaign to help spread messages about being kind, and a programming component to help teach us how to be kind to one another.
“While a program like #BeKind is not a cure-all to the negativity, bullying, and depression that some students experience, it is a place to start,” stated a KHS Counselor. “It may take just one smile, one word of kindness, or one person caring that could save someone’s life.”
#BeKind 2020
This year, KPS is partnering with Mission Mondays. Every Monday, elementary students will be given a mission for the week to encourage and teach students how to be kind. Mission #1: introduce yourself to one new person each day during the first full week of school. While it is important to tell kids to be kind, it is also vital that we show them how to be kind.
THE PILLARS
KPS has partnered with Team Concepts (Bekind4life) to conduct workshops with the teachers, third grade, and 6-12 grades, to teach them the four pillars of #BeKind:
Kindness Includes
Kindness Encourages
Kindness Trusts
Kindness Celebrates
The activities are fun and challenging for the kids and help them understand each of the four pillars. In future years, KPS plans to encourage #BeKind leadership and skills by continuing the workshops for students in 3rd grade, 6th grade, and 9th grade.
KPS has partnered with Team Concepts (Bekind4life) to conduct workshops with the teachers, third grade, and 6-12 grades, to teach them the four pillars of #BeKind:
Kindness Includes
Kindness Encourages
Kindness Trusts
Kindness Celebrates
The activities are fun and challenging for the kids and help them understand each of the four pillars. In future years, KPS plans to encourage #BeKind leadership and skills by continuing the workshops for students in 3rd grade, 6th grade, and 9th grade.
#BeKind CELEBRATES
Each school is doing their own #BeKind activities, like #BeKind kindness awards at Park. At KHS, over 20 KHS juniors have been trained to help with the workshops and social media campaigns, and have been instrumental in making the program youthful. Follow the program @bekindkps on Instagram!
Each school is doing their own #BeKind activities, like #BeKind kindness awards at Park. At KHS, over 20 KHS juniors have been trained to help with the workshops and social media campaigns, and have been instrumental in making the program youthful. Follow the program @bekindkps on Instagram!
THE FUTURE OF BE KIND
While our first year of #BeKind is spent on introducing the program and concept to KPS students, staff, and parents; subsequent years will be spent reinforcing the concept in our schools and expanding the program in our community.
Pending on fundraising, we plan to promote the #BeKind program with local businesses, clubs, organizations, and the Kearney community.
While our first year of #BeKind is spent on introducing the program and concept to KPS students, staff, and parents; subsequent years will be spent reinforcing the concept in our schools and expanding the program in our community.
Pending on fundraising, we plan to promote the #BeKind program with local businesses, clubs, organizations, and the Kearney community.
Dr. Mark Adler is the Superintendent of Ralston Public Schools. In January 2016, Dr. Adler’s son, Reid, killed himself.
In news stories, it came to light that Reid had shared an inappropriate photograph of himself with a girl. The girl had been threatening to post the photograph publicly if Reid did not do what she wanted. The night before his body was found in his room, the girl had posted the photograph on a public website.
Instead of pressing charges, Dr. Adler and his wife, Joni, have forgiven the girl and have worked to build something positive from the situation. The Adlers started ‘BeKind’ and have been giving speeches as part of their efforts to promote awareness.
Our students live in a culture where violence, rudeness, and disrespect are modeled by our politicians, in our entertainment industry, and unfortunately, sometimes in our community and our homes.
We want to promote a message of kindness and civility in our daily lives, and the message can impact others and spread in an effort to help others.
THANK YOU FOR SPONSORING KINDNESS
We would like to thank our #BeKind sponsors. We hope you will too! Without these caring businesses/organizations, #BeKind would not be possible. The programming is 100% community funded:
CLASS Act, Rae of Hope Foundation, Kearney Area Community Foundation, One City Foundation, Kearney Regional Medical Center, Barth Financial, Newcomb Diesel, Platte Valley Communications, Rutts Heating & AC, Agxcel, Nelson’s Furniture, Team Concepts, Copycat Printing, and United Way.
We would like to thank our #BeKind sponsors. We hope you will too! Without these caring businesses/organizations, #BeKind would not be possible. The programming is 100% community funded:
CLASS Act, Rae of Hope Foundation, Kearney Area Community Foundation, One City Foundation, Kearney Regional Medical Center, Barth Financial, Newcomb Diesel, Platte Valley Communications, Rutts Heating & AC, Agxcel, Nelson’s Furniture, Team Concepts, Copycat Printing, and United Way.
