Teaching kindness
Education Academy and Student Council members attend a Youth Frontiers retreat at Reagan Elementary
Photo Courtesy of Abigail Fehr
During the Kindness Retreat, Reagan Elementary fourth graders learned about the importance of kindness through a day of singing, dancing and fun. “The fourth graders are able to easily learn about such an important topic through activities, games, and group discussions,” Vontz said. At the end of the day I am positive each fourth graders left with more kindness in there heart and eager to help others.”
December 10, 2019
On Friday, November 22, Millard West Education Academy and Student Council members attended a Kindness retreat at Bellbrook Community Center. The retreat was held for the fourth graders of Reagan Elementary and consisted of fun and exciting activities to teach the students the importance of kindness.
The retreat was sponsored by Youth Frontiers, a company focused on teaching the values of kindness to students. Youth Frontiers has three key learning objectives they teach students: how to make kind choices, empathy skills and conflict resolution skills. They teach these skills through high energy activities and presentations put on by Youth Frontier staff.
According to Youth Frontiers after the kindness Retreat, 94 percent of fourth and fifth graders are more confident to help a classmate who is being bullied.
The Millard West students were in charge of small group activities that focused on the different aspects of being kind. The purpose of the small groups was to help the fourth graders process what they were learning and experiencing. Another important role for the high school students was to encourage the fourth graders to be more active and involved.
“When in the small groups we discussed different topics of being kind,” Student Council member and sophomore Ava Fisher said. “We helped the fourth graders become more involved by encouraging them to get out of their comfort zone and become more social with their classmates.”
The activities led by Millard West students where high-energy games and small discussions to teach the fourth graders about kindness in a fun and interactive way. They played games, sang songs and put on a play that discussed different ways to be kind.
Through these activities the fourth graders learn important skills that will help them through school. The retreat focuses on teaching empathy skills and conflict resolution. This gives the students safe and responsible ways to respond to bullying as well as new ways to be kind to their classmates.
“Allowing the fourth graders to learn and talk about kindness is extremely beneficial,” Student Council member and sophomore Katilyn Vontz said “They are at an age where they are building their personality so teaching them how powerful kindness is key.”
Overall, the kindness retreat was a great opportunity for not only the fourth graders to learn and have fun but also the Millard West students.
