This article was written by Kimberly Burd, Social and Emotional Learning teacher at Wolf Meadow Elementary in Cabarrus County Schools in Concord, North Carolina. Kim has 23 years of teaching experience, holds a master's degree from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, and is a National Board Certified Teacher. Wolf Meadow serves roughly 655 students in grades K–5 and is one of 21 elementary schools in Cabarrus County Schools, which adopted The Positivity Project district-wide in 2022.
At Wolf Meadow Elementary, we kicked off the school year with the focus on the character strength of kindness. Our project, titled the “Kindness Chain,” brought together all Wolf Meadow students, encouraging them to reflect on and act upon the needs of others.
The project began with students writing their thoughtful acts of kindness on colorful strips of paper. Each classroom then crafted its own paper chain. As a collective effort, these individual chains were combined to gauge the total length that would represent the entire school’s commitment to kindness. Students estimated how this chain would compare to the length of a school bus. The culmination of this project was nothing short of wonderful – the kindness chain was recorded wrapping around a school bus nearly two times! The students were ecstatic to see this moment captured and shared during their morning announcements.
Through this initiative, students discovered that kindness—expressed through both words and actions—creates a “ripple effect” that can return to them “full circle.” We also introduced the concept of the “Other People Mindset,” emphasizing that our actions and words can significantly impact those around us, for better or worse. As a P2 partner school, our goal is to nurture an environment where all students are inspired to lead with kindness, fostering stronger relationships and enhancing their overall well-being throughout the school year.
The SEL Encore Teacher, Kim Burd, spearheaded this initiative in August 2024, collaborating closely with each of the classroom teachers to ensure its success. We are excited to build upon this foundation in the coming year, continuing to cultivate a culture of kindness at Wolf Meadow Elementary!
We invite everyone to join us in making kindness a priority, as we believe that together, we can create a brighter and more compassionate school community.