Landmark students practicing random acts of kindness

The heart-shaped papers hanging on a wall at Landmark Elementary School record kind acts by teachers and students there.

“Jance Jarvis made brownies for mommy’s co-workers,” reads one. “Seth helped kids at fun zone with their skates,” reads another.

Small things individually, but lumped all together — like the papers on the wall — are random acts of kindness which make a bigger thing, and a better community.

That’s the point, says Linda Kies, a Landmark counselor, who started Random Acts of Kindness Week at the school. Kies and teachers throughout the school have been stressing the importance of being kind to students, and have also asked parents to get in on the act.

For each act of kindness Landmark students perform, they get to put a heart up on a display.

“I really do believe with children you have to model the behavior you want,” Kies said. “I think we have too much rudeness and unkindness and that sometimes it’s easier to react than be proactive.” Nicole Burns, a Landmark teacher, said she can tell a difference in the climate of the school since Kies started her program. “They’re more loving,” Burns said.

Tori Arnold, a fifth-grader, said the effort has made her more aware of the importance of being kind to others. “All the time it’s good to help because you never know what’s around the corner and you may need help, and if there’s no one to help, you will be sad,” she said.

Arnold said since the week’s started, she’s helped her sister do dishes and her mother cook. In addition to Random Acts of Kindness Week, students at Landmark are also kindly participating in the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society’s Pennies for Patients program. This week, the school has raised more than $200.