KVR Middle School student Sarah Schlamp (centre) helps Carmi Elmentary School students Barrett Boretta (left) and Thora Beriault as part the Real Acts of Caring program.
Image Credit: Mark Brett, Local Journalism Initiative
February 06, 2023 - 11:30 AM
Real Acts of caring Week is once a year but a group of middle school students in Penticton have made it a full-time commitment to help others.
“They’re (students) trying to spread the word that when you’re planning and doing intentional acts of kindness eventually that becomes part of your everyday life,” said KVR Middle School teacher and team lead Melissa Burdock. “We will have a better community if everyone starts doing that.”
Additionlly, her Grade 7 class is putting on a virtual kindness assembly for local school district’s K-5 classes Feb. 9 which will reach nearly 3,000 kids.
The kindness of the KVR class in the past year has included partnering with OneSky to get Christmas presents for 17 children of families in need.
“It’s doing something nice for someone without expecting anything in return,” said student Charlotte Boone. “It brings people joy and they want to do RAC (random acts of kindness) for someone else and it’s like a chain, one person helps another and the next person carries it on.”
Added her teacher, “What the students did get in return was just knowing they helped families during Christmas when it can be hard for those who are struggling with keeping up with bills and not being able to buy presents.”
The students also visit elementary schools where they do crafts and become “big buddies” with the younger students.
“Those connections are at the schools where kids could really use the opportunity to connect positively with older kids,” said Burdock.
KVR Middle School teacher Melissa Burdock and her Grade 7 students Sarah Schlamp (centre) and Charlotte Boone.
Image Credit: Mark Brett, Local Journalism Initiative
KVR Middle School teacher Melissa Burdock and her Grade 7 students Sarah Schlamp (centre) and Charlotte Boone.
Also last Christmas, the class took all the makings for gingerbread houses to a school so that they would have a house of their own to take home.
Another project the students worked on was the distribution of reusable bags for the nonprofit Fabric Bag Solution group.
“We gave the bags to the kindergarteners and teaching them why they shouldn’t use plastic bags,” said student Sarah Schlamp. “We taught them it’s good to have reusable things and they were really excited.”
Burdock heard from the kindergarten teacher afterwards that it was a highlight to have the “big kids” teaching them about the importance of caring for the land.
The class has also been the beneficiary of some other peoples’ real acts of caring.
“Students are making a circle of kindness video to show how kindness can be passed on and filmmaker Nikos Theodosakis has donated his skills and Justin Glibbery is doing a free original musical score,” said Burdock.
Random Act of Kindness Week is Feb. 12-18. The students are presenting at Tuesday’s committee of the whole meeting of Penticton city council beginning at 1 p.m.
— This story was originally published by the Penticton Herald.
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