KINDNESS: Poly High School undergoes its first Kindness Week
By Timothy Chen, Staff Writer
Kindness Week, a new activity brought to Poly by ASB, teaches students to be kind to one another. “A lot of people here are like, mean. We need to get our stuff together,” said Malik Alexander (10), a member of ASB. Kindness week began on Monday with a motivational speech given by Mike Smith. This was followed by High-Five Day, when students were encouraged to high-five each other. On Wednesday, students wore yellow clothing to reflect happiness and sunshine. Students who participated received candy. Thursday was Unity Day, and students donned tie-dyed shirts to again receive candy for participating. A pep rally was scheduled for Poly Pride Friday.
Kindness Week was brought to Poly by Vanessa Douty, who saw such an activity while working for Jurupa School District. CADA (California’s Association of Directors of Activities), a leadership program for ASB students across Southern California, exposed the idea of a kindness week to Poly’s ASB. Students viewed a moving presentation during a summer camp and wanted to bring Kindness Week to Poly. It was also there that ASB was introduced to Smith. Smith was admired by the students and Douty arranged to have him speak at Poly.
Kindness Week had a huge impact on Poly. Throughout the week, students were seen sporting the yellow stickers and wristbands promoting acts of kindness. Students found Smith’s speech especially inspirational. “I think Mike Smith opened a lot of people’s eyes—it had an impact on everyone at Poly,” Belen Martinez (11), ASB Vice President, said. ASB Activities Director Georgio Elnar (10) agreed: “It united the school; we got a sense of love.” Poly students are now aware of how even a small sign of kindness can make themselves and others feel good. Although it’s a slow process, Kindness Week is a small reminder for all students to treat others the way they want to be treated.