The Daviess County Public Schools district is bringing back the #BeKindDCPS campaign to encourage kindness throughout February. Students and staff members observed engaging in acts of kindness will be celebrated and publicly recognized, including with the placement of yard signs on school campuses and throughout Daviess County.
DCPS Superintendent Matt Robbins said the goal of #BeKindDCPS is “to flood our school buildings, hallways, classrooms, newsletters, playgrounds, lunchrooms, and social media feeds with conversations, actions, and messages focusing on positive acts of kindness, empathy, and compassion in an effort to overcome the negative messages that can be so prevalent in those forums.”
A variety of school-level specific books centered around the theme “Buckets of Kindness” are being distributed to DCPS schools, thanks to a gift from a family within the community. Books will be used by counselors, members of the district mental health team and Family Resource/Youth Service Center coordinators as a starting point for conversations about the many ways people of all ages can demonstrate kindness towards others – and why such acts are important.
“In our society, we encounter many people every day. A single act of kindness, a positive interaction with another person, can change the trajectory of a person’s day,” said Dr. Amy Shutt, assistant superintendent for human services. “We have acts of kindness that occur in our schools on a daily basis. We want to intentionally celebrate kindness to help all of us grow and recognize the importance of the essential skills of empathy, compassion, and kindness for others. We are focusing on kindness in February, but we want to demonstrate the importance of this characteristic with a goal to see it radiate throughout our community and every day of the year.”
Robbins added, “There is nothing more powerful than seeing our district mission brought to life when kids put other kids first. Our schools remain committed to teaching not only academic skills, but also characteristics such as kindness and empathy that are essential elements of a truly successful life.”
