THOMAS MAGNET School\u2019s fifth- grade students impact the lives of their peers by celebrating random acts of kindness. Fifth-grade teacher Tara Turner said that Thomas Magnet School Principal Mrs. Watson came up with the idea of recognizing students on every grade level for academic achievement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The fifth-grade students wanted to take regular school shoutouts a step further by nominating each other for their random positive acts of kindness.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Fifth-grade teacher Susan Olsen helped the students execute their goals by filling out a form and inserting them in envelopes, which go into a container whenever they recognize a deserving peers\u2019 efforts. Every Tuesday, she collects five nominations and sends them to the office. Principal Watson then reads the recipients\u2019 names and why their peers recognized them to the school over the intercom.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Fifth-grade teacher Tara Turner said it was interesting to examine how the fifth-grade students see each other. \u201cIt\u2019s telling to watch them nominate each other, and what they see in each other has been interesting.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Fifth Grade student Daisy Davidson said the student body\u2019s efforts to spread positivity make a difference. \u201cI think the thing that makes everybody happy about getting acknowledged is the enjoyment of knowing that your classmates notice you for doing something good.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Fifth-grade student Tre Young said that he enjoys looking out for people spreading positivity; when they know that what they\u2019re doing is being recognized, it encourages them to continue.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cNot only do they have the satisfaction of doing something good, but they also get satisfaction from getting noticed from it,\u201d Young said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Olsen said the students have taken ownership over celebrating their peers\u2019 random acts of kindness with the rest of the student body. \u201cThese kids have been together since kindergarten, so the sense of community is already instilled in them, especially by fifth grade. This is kind of their baby.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
One of the most rewarding experiences for the students is watching the nominees\u2019 reactions. Whenever their peers receive recognition for their random acts of kindness, it brings positive feelings and affirmations. Fifth-grade student Miquel Jones said, \u201cIt makes them feel better because now they know they\u2019re doing good things.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In executing one single idea, Olsen\u2019s fifth-grade class positively impacted the students, teachers, and the student body. The teachers find joy in witnessing their students\u2019 camaraderie.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Turner said, \u201cWe love these kids, they love it here and it\u2019s just a big family.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Fifth-grade teacher Kelley Reason said that this opportunity gives every student the ability to feel recognized, loved, and accepted. Also, students feel a sense of pride from affirming and celebrating their peers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cFrom a teacher\u2019s point of view, it\u2019s been heartwarming to watch them go out of their way to make sure that those kids who are normally in the shadows are recognized as well,\u201d Reason said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Thomas Magnet School fifth-graders have become trailblazers for other schools to follow. The students\u2019 actions have shown that it only takes a single idea or a random act of kindness to transform an entire student body. -GN<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" THOMAS MAGNET School\u2019s fifth- grade students impact the lives of their peers by celebrating random acts of kindness. Fifth-grade teacher Tara Turner said that Thomas Magnet School Principal Mrs. Watson came up with the idea of recognizing students on every grade level for academic achievement. The fifth-grade students wanted to take regular school shoutouts a […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":12,"featured_media":68,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-14628","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-stories"],"yoast_head":"\n