It’s Random Acts of Kindness Day, and though you can be nice every day, maybe go out of your way today to spread kindness.

When asked in an anonymous survey what’s the nicest thing someone has done for them at Bob Jones, students shared both normal and truly random acts of kindness. Holding the door is always nice. “It was raining outside and someone held the door by the band room since they saw that my hands were full.” Sharing your potatoes? Random. “My friend shared her potatoes with me at lunch every day, and it was super fun.”

Lunch can be an especially tough time for students, and an act of kindness can go a long way. One student shared, “On the second day of school since I was brand new to the school and moved here this year, at lunch, I didn’t know anyone and had nowhere to sit and decided to try and strike up a conversation with this guy at this one table. I asked him and the people at the table if I could sit with them and they said yes, and that day helped me feel a lot better about the new school and less stressed and overwhelmed.” Another student shared, “During lunch, I used to sit by myself, and I would feel very lonely. One day, someone came up to me and invited me to sit with their friend group. I agreed to sit with them, and now I sit with them every day. This made lunch one of my favorite times of the day.”

Striking up a conversation with someone can make a big impact. One student in the survey shared, “The nicest thing that someone has done for me at Bob Jones is someone just talking to me. My friend A talks to me almost every day. Someone to relate to is always nice. He’s one of the few people that’s receptive to me, and I can’t thank him enough for that.”

When asked what would cheer them up, the top survey responses were (1) hearing compliments (2) others saying hi and waving, and (3) others saying thank you.

If you want more ideas about how to spread kindness, click HERE. Some schools even have a Kindness Club; maybe it’s something you should start. You can ask a teacher to be the sponsor, recruit members, and plan events to foster kindness. HERE is a guideline for starting a Kindness Club.

Be kind, Bob Jones!