Sprinkling Kindness Through the School Day

At Heights Elementary School in Oakland, New Jersey, this year’s kindness theme is “Sprinkle Kindness Everywhere.” Counselor Kim Jacobson coordinates monthly activities around that idea for the school’s 315 students, with student council playing a visible role in carrying the work forward. Council members lead kindness initiatives, celebrate classmates through Caught with Character recognitions, and bring short lessons and activities into classrooms throughout the year.

Lessons like STOP!, Speak Up, Speak Kindly, Asking for Help, and The Gratitude Muscle help students practice pausing before reacting, speaking with care, asking for help when they need it, and noticing the good in others. Jacobson says the clearest result has been in how students talk about their own role in the school. They are learning that they can shape how school feels for the people around them through how they speak to one another, who they include, and how they respond when something goes wrong.

The school has seen meaningful growth across the community. From student belonging and engagement to staff compassion and job satisfaction, every area the school reflected on showed strong improvement, pointing to a culture that feels more connected, supportive, and hopeful than before.

Jacobson often returns to a quote from child psychiatrist and educator Dr. James Comer: “No significant learning occurs without a significant relationship.” For her, that idea connects kindness and learning. At Heights, the lessons, recognitions, and student leadership all point back to the same belief: relationships are built through small, repeated acts of care.