Students got to choose the rocks and the base color during their art class on Monday. (Photos courtesy of Shaker Lane School) 
Art teacher Kristen Hemmis showed students examples of kindness rocks that students will create in class. She and art teacher Ann Brazinski came up with the project as part of the Great Kindness Challenge week. (Photo courtesy of Shaker Lane School) 
Students got to choose the rocks and the base color during their art class on Monday. (Photos courtesy of Shaker Lane School)
LITTLETON — With a goal of spreading positivity throughout the school community and beyond, students and staff at the Shaker Lane School are creating kindness rocks over the next few days as part of the district-wide Great Kindness Challenge.
Students began painting the rocks this week and will finish the project next week, adding phrases and pictures to their stones.
While they’ll have a week to brainstorm exactly what they want to include, some shared ideas during class Monday afternoon. Those ideas included phrases like “Love Everyone”, “Give a Hug” and “Bee Happy”, with a picture of a honey bee.
“Sometimes we don’t even need words, sometimes you just need a symbol,” said Kristen Hemmis, an art teacher at the school. “I think people would really like seeing a little mini work of art somewhere.”
Once the rocks are finished, students will be able to give them to whoever they’d like or hide them around the community for others to find.
Though each student is only creating one rock in class, the project has inspired them to do more at home.
“One student said went home and made 10 rocks over the weekend,” Hemmis said.
The rocks were donated by WJ Graves Construction Supply Co., as well as a local parent. In all, the school received over 600 rocks.
Throughout the week, all of Littleton’s schools will host events and activities designed to help foster a safe and caring school environment.
A Kindness Tunnel — where students are greeted by staff and community members as they arrive to school at the start of the day — served as a kickoff to the week’s events on Monday, Jan. 27. Students and staff are also encouraged to perform random acts of kindness throughout the week. Each school will also have spirit days, contests, kindness quotes during the morning announcements and other activities that will spread positive messages throughout the school and community.
Students and staff will also take part in the Kind Coins for Mexico program, which encourages donations to raise funds to build a school and friendship center in Tijuana, Mexico.
“The kids are so excited to do kind things for their classmates, family and communities,” Principal Michelle Kane said. “Already, we’ve seen them come up with some great ideas of how to be kind to one another and the kindness rocks are a prime example of that.”
Littleton Public Schools and Kids for Peace are sponsoring this event. Tracy Turner and Jennifer Feudo, both special education teachers at Littleton High School, organized the event in order to increase the anti-bullying efforts throughout the district.
In 2019, more than 13 million students and more than 24,000 schools in 115 countries took part in the Great Kindness Challenge.
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