York Academy Goes the Extra Mile During Kindness Week
York Academy students and staff #UKnighted to impact over 1,000 lives during Kindness Week (11/11-11/18)! The goal was to spread kindness and go the "extra mile" to make a difference in others' lives. York Academy's commitment to service and caring for others are woven into our school culture and the IB curriculum. Giving back is the norm, and it's no surprise that we were in the forefront of York's first Kindness Week movement. The examples below show how we do things differently at the York Academy!
Our kindergarten students created this Tree of Kindness, and in addition to the first graders who handed out flowers and notes at Central Market, Mrs. Waninger's first graders completed a Kindness Calendar for November. Each day offered a way to be kind at home or in the community. They also colored signs that hang in the hallways to encourage others to be kind. One student in the class even created her own Kindness Box and shared special notes and jewelry with multiple teachers and staff. Mrs. Ireland's fifth and sixth graders made cards for individuals at Bell Socialization Services, too.
Second graders wrote notes of thanks to Veterans (below), third graders wrote special thank you notes to the Uptown Rotary Club for surprising them with dictionaries, and fourth graders wove Thanksgiving placemats for the residents at Rest Haven Retirement Home.
Our fifth graders spread good cheer through Penny Acts of Kindness, and the sixth graders are still collecting items for their toiletry drive through Tuesday (see below). Younger students in Mrs. Winters' art classes created cards/drawings for staff and older students created stickers with encouraging messages to share. View some of them here.
The Upper School House Council created a snack cart and surprised each staff member to make their day brighter. Other students posted uplifting messages around the school. Seventh graders made origami notes for teachers, staff, friends, and family in art class. A note was written on the origami paper and then folded into the sculpture so that the recipient had to open to reveal the letter or inspirational message.
The Counseling Department held a can opener drive for Catholic Harvest Food Pantry, our awesome cafeteria teams made breakfast for staff members, and one caring employee even created cheerful goodie bags for bus and van drivers!
In addition, many thanks to all the families who came to our very first Knights-Giving! It was a fantastic evening of food, community and fun! We're grateful for the kindness of Ms. Davis and her Creative Technology class, along with the Upper School Family Engagement Committee for organizing the event. We also appreciate the generosity of Keystone Kidspace and everyone who donated items for the raffle, brought canned goods, or donated can openers.