Photo submitted by WAPS
WINONA, Minn. — They screamed. They laughed. They danced. And they made a pledge to treat one another with kindness and compassion.
Students at Washington-Kosciusko Elementary were treated to an engaging assembly on Wednesday morning that featured Craig Scott, a survivor of the Columbine High School shooting in 1999 who is now a motivational speaker.
Scott’s presentations — he did an hour with Grades K-2, then an hour with Grades 3-4 — did not mention the shooting or violence. Instead, they focused on the dreams of his sister, Rachel Joy Scott, who was one of the 13 students killed in the tragedy, and whose vision of a chain reaction of kindness has inspired millions.
“I have this theory that if one person can go out of their way to show compassion, then it will start a chain reaction of the same,” Rachel wrote. “People will never know how far a little kindness can go.”
Scott challenged the W-K students and teachers to do five things:
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Use kind words and do kind things
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Accept and include others
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Choose positive influences
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Set goals
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Keep a journal
Mixed in with the challenges was a whole lot of fun. Scott engaged with the students from the start, getting them involved in the presentation throughout, asking about their interests. He danced with teachers and principal Dawn Waller Lueck, then encouraged the students to put an arm around their neighbor, sway back and forth, and sing parts of the song “Lean on Me.”
There were smiles everywhere.
The assembly was sponsored by the W-K Parent Teacher Association.
The impact of the event didn’t end after the assembly was over, either. W-K students also plan to start a literal chain of kindness. Every time a W-K student does something kind, it will be written down to comprise a paper chain that will be displayed in the school. Similar paper chains have been created at thousands of schools across the country.
(waps)
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