Campus Views: Teaching kindness

Kind words from a fourth grader: “You are extraordinary. You are patient, kind and a good friend.”

Whitefish High School’s Big Dawg Club is at it again. The club is a high school group committed to creating opportunities for all students to make lasting friendships and improve inclusive opportunities for all students.

We meet once a week and volunteer our time to promote community service, school spirit and inclusive opportunities. Our club has been involved in the “spread the word to end the word campaign” which worked to eliminate the word “retard” from our language, in addition to other community projects focusing on the power of our language.

Last week we kickstarted our positive language program at Muldown Elementary. Dubbed “Our words are our greatest superpower,” this project emphasizes the importance of simple kindness across age groups.

Big Dawg Club members and other students, led by Christian Bitterauf, are acting as lead superheroes and will make the trek over to the elementary school during recess. Once on the playground, we join forces with an assigned third- or fourth-grader. Together, we will follow a checklist of super words that includes saying something positive to someone younger, older and someone that we don’t know very well.

The incentive for the fourth graders is a “certificate of awesomeness” and recognition in the superhero hall of fame.

The fourth-graders social impact flows deep across the playground. They act as role models to the younger kiddos and high schoolers alike, giving spunk and heart to our super-word project.

We wear capes, have superhero names and act a little silly, all the while getting to the nitty gritty of genuine connections.

Meaningful compliments go deeper than superficial words about appearance. This last week we spent time in each of the third- and fourth-grade classrooms practicing purposeful words and laying out our plan. As with most things impactful, practice and lighthearted fun lie at the heart of making a difference.

Big Dawg Club and our elementary cohorts are excited to practice our belief that by combining the power of positive language with direct action, we can support integrity and compassion.

What super words will you offer today?

Keep a look out for information concerning our “think before you speak week” starting April 13.

— Grace Kurtz is a senior at Whitefish High School