Kindness can be seen across the halls at Northern Shores Elementary School, and students are being rewarded for their benevolence.

Students are rewarded by their teachers for their acts of kindness, and students that show extraordinary acts of kindness get the chance to wear a kindness necklace.

The idea was brought to the Northern Shores Parent Teacher Association by a parent, Dawn Andrews, to start rewarding the students for their kindness.

“One of our parents at Northern Shores wanted to contribute to the school, and she wanted to have the school focus on kindness,” said PTA president Meg Diggs. “She proposed that we would focus on kindness and give everyday ideas that are elementary-level appropriate for everyday acts of kindness. We would reward the children caught in the act.”

This idea has now been implemented into the schools, and Andrews provided kindness necklaces to be given to those students that show extraordinary acts of kindness.

“They provided these necklaces so they could be seen and acknowledged for doing something above and beyond,” Diggs said. “It’s been wonderful that we brought the focus for doing something for your neighbor and really being part of a community.”

For Northern Shores students, an extraordinary act of kindness is asking someone to play when they don’t have anyone else or doing a project with someone that you normally wouldn’t work with.

“There have been a lot of acts of inclusion, from what I’ve heard,” Diggs said. “The thing is, these kids are fully capable of doing these things and enjoying them.”

Diggs is happy to see the new kindness initiatives at the school, and she thinks that they will be beneficial to the school and the community.

“I think all of this shows an extraordinary sense of community, and I am very appreciative of it,” Diggs said.

For Diggs, she wants her children to go to a school that fosters not only a love of education but also a love of inclusion and kindness.

“I am very proud of the community at Northern Shores. Not only is it important to focus on academics, but it is also important to make students good members of the community by focusing on characteristics that make them, and all of us, better,” Diggs said. “I appreciate that this idea was brought to us by a parent in the community.”