On Kindness & Lent

Kindness Week in Review

The Caring and Sharing Exchange sponsored Kindness Week, February 14-21,  in the City of Ottawa. Last year, Rabbi Reuven Bulka, Chair of Kind Ottawa, spoke to Ottawa Catholic School Board principals about how they could encourage teachers and students to participate in Kindness Week. Rather than focusing on negative behaviours like bullying and harassment, students were encouraged to "change the conversation" and focus on positive behaviours motivated by kindness.  Through participating in creative Kindness Week projects, they would help maintain a positive school climate.  

The Kindness Tree at St. John The Apostle School 

Students responded to the challenge of Kindness Week in a variety of ways.  At. some schools, random acts of kindness were recognized, while at schools like St. Jerome, students took a Kindness Oath.   At some schools, students used social media such as Twitter to spread the message of kindness.   There were also many classes that created videos, such as this incredible video from St. Luke School which features kindergarten students' perspective on being kind:  

Kindergarten perspective on Kindness Week

St Jerome School Kindness Oath 

A core Catholic Graduation Expectation is a lifelong commitment of students to maintaining the dignity of all persons. Kindness Week was a great opportunity for teachers to engage students in living out this commitment.

Kindness Twitter Board at Assumption School

At St. Pius X High School, students organized a 21-day challenge to make it a habit to do something to create a more caring community of people who look out for each other and stand up to bullying.  Each day during the challenge, participants committed to doing an act of kindness, no matter how big or small.  The hope was that by the end of the 21 days participants would have made it a habit to be kind and the acts of kindness would continue – making Pius an even better place to be.  The Challenge began on February 5 and finished on February 25 with a celebration in the school library after school where participants received certificates, a personalized listing of their acts of kindness, cake and punch.

Each evening during the challenge, participants were invited to upload their act of kindness to a google site, using a google form, so that all in our community could read the acts each morning.  On Fridays during the challenge, some of the acts were highlighted over the PA.  

Lent in Our Catholic Schools

Mother Teresa High School students Ash Wednesday 'Selfie"

ala Academy Awards Celebs Selfie

In Ottawa Catholic schools, the beginning of the Lenten journey was marked by Ash Wednesday masses and liturgies.  Students and staff were anointed, in the sign of the Cross, with ashes on their foreheads,  as a sign of humility and Catholic-Christian faith. The act of putting on ashes symbolizes fragility and mortality, and the need to be redeemed by the mercy of God.

During the season of Lent, students in Catholic schools engage in almsgiving, fasting, and special prayers.  They also are encouraged to give up simple pleasures in order to draw closer to God.  Here's a list of Lent promises made by grade 2 students at Assumption School:

What better lead up to Ash Wednesday and Lent could there have been than Kindness Week?