Newly Formed Student Council Decides to Work on Kindness

By Lauren Valentino

A nine-member Student Council was formed at Botelle School this fall. Fifth- and sixth-grade students were given the opportunity of joining. Interested students were asked to complete a five-question application. The questions included “What is your vision for how kindness can be spread throughout our school?” and “What leadership qualities do you possess that make you a strong candidate for Student Council?”

Applications were reviewed by a group consisting of Mrs. DeDominicis and Mr. Snyder, sixth- and fifth-grade teachers respectively; myself as principal; and Superintendent Iacobelli. Four sixth graders were appointed to the Student Council: Mckenzie Casey, Paige Dzenutis, Noah Green, and Olivia Olson. Five fifth graders were also appointed: Elizabeth Burn, Ben Crone, Ginny DeCerbo, Emily Ohmen and Rebecca Storm .

When asked about the benefits of being on Student Council, Noah Green replied, “It’s a good way for students to work together and have a say in what we get to do in our school to make it better.” Paige Dzenutis added, “It gives us good real world experience by teaching students to be leaders and work with other people.”

Regular student council meetings provide the students opportunities to work together and hone their leadership skills. The meetings are student-led, and all participants have a role in ensuring that the outcome is productive and ideas come to fruition. During the first two meetings, students brainstormed about ways to spread kindness through the community. They ultimately agreed that, as a first initiative, they would create Kindness Cards. Each student, from kindergarten to sixth grade, will be given five Kindness Cards; on seeing another student being kind, he or she will give that student a card to acknowledge the kind act. Ginny DeCerbo, when asked about the mission of Student Council and the Kindness Cards, said, “I think spreading kindness is important. It’s good to recognize people for their kind actions.”

Pairs of students will go into every classroom and explain the Kindness Cards idea to students to get them excited about the kind acts they might notice others already doing. In primary classrooms, students will read a book with a kindness theme and engage students in a conversation of what kindness looks like and sounds like so they understand when to give a Kindness Card. Posters about kindness were also made to hang around the school, reminding students that “It’s cool to be kind!” Morning announcements will feature kindness tips, and once a week, students who receive a Kindness Card will be given a shout-out acknowledging their kind act.

Kindness Cards will last throughout the month of December, but the Student Council will be busy at work planning their next initiative to spread kindness. Elizabeth Burn may have summed it up best when she said, “It’s just nice to do something kind.”

In January, students will attend a leadership conference in Waterbury with other students from Colebrook and Barkhamsted.