First-grade students at Oakside Scholars have been busy sharing messages of kindness throughout their community. After a special visitor joined Ms. Halsey’s class, students were inspired to write encouraging messages on rocks that would then be hidden throughout the community.
“I have a dear friend, Maryellen Ackroyd, who has been painting and hiding rocks for years,” said Wendy Halsey, first-grade teacher at Oakside Scholars. “She came to the class and enthusiastically shared her experiences hiding rocks.”
Taking inspiration from their guest, Ms. Halsey and her students set off to work creating kindness rocks of their own. Ackroyd, a retired kindergarten teacher, brainstormed with the class and helped the students come up with ideas to draw and write on the rocks.
“The class was awesome when they set out to do the work. They were so creative and polite with one another and they shared the markers to make their creations,” said Halsey.
Together, the class discussed location options to hide the rocks. Though they won’t share specific details, potential locations included the library, on shelves inside local stores, and perhaps at secret locations inside the school.
The kindness rocks project ties into the social studies curriculum, in which they are currently studying communities.
“I felt this was a good way to show that even though we may be young, we can certainly be a positive influence in our community,” said Halsey.
You rock, Oakside Scholars!