Erika Anderson

STAFF WRITER

DECATUR-Classroom doors at Sts. Peter and Paul School are decorated with hearts, bears and even Hershey kisses, each giving a different message of kindness.

Students spent a week learning the importance of kindness as they celebrated Kindness Week Jan 10-14. Children participated in parades, games and activities that all showed the value of being kind to one another.

On Jan. 12, Principal Queen Grady stood outside on the blacktop of the school, her red pantsuit matching the children's red gym uniforms. Today the students celebrated "Good Sportsmanship Day." Participating in relay races and other games, children were encouraged to cheer for each other and congratulate the winners.

"We're trying to establish life skills," Grady said. "It's very important for students to recognize the importance of others' lives. It's a skill you can't be too young to learn."

Grady cheered her students as they raced around cones.

In one corner, students played "Red Light, Green Light." In another corner, students played "Dog and Bone," where one student must choose the person who stole the bone.

Other students played with a large parachute and in another corner, students raced in relay teams to put a pin in a bucket.

Michael Jones has been the physical education teacher at Sts. Peter and Paul for 14 years. He said he always tries to address the importance of kindness and good sportsmanship with his students.

"I tell them that there are no losers-that they are all winners," he said. "I try to do fun things with them, not competitive things."

As the younger students participated in the games, eighth-grade students facilitated and led them.

Ashley Page, one of the eighth-graders helping, said that she has enjoyed working with the younger students, and that as an athlete, she knows the value of kindness and good sportsmanship firsthand.

"You need to treat people with respect or else you won't be treated with respect," she said. "I play basketball and I don't like it when people bring a bad attitude. It's nice when people show good sportsmanship."

The Martin Luther King Jr. holiday was celebrated just a few days after the conclusion of Kindness Week. Grady said that the message of King further enforces the need for kindness.

"There is a tendency in society that so many are doing unkind things to others," she said. "We have to start very early with our children teaching them that peace is important."

In the classroom of fourth-grade teacher Todd Ford, students have been focusing on working together.

"They're used to playing by themselves, but they are getting to an age where they are starting to work in groups," he said. "We're learning to work with each other and we've been doing more activities where we work in teams."

Many students composed essays about kindness and talked in class about kindness.

Linda Tuner-Dash said that she was surprised by the unique ideas the students had.

"It's interesting that they recognize what kindness is in all different forms-not just being kind to their neighbor in their class," she said. "They talked a lot about being kind to strangers and the less fortunate, such as the homeless."

Grady said that it is important to celebrate kindness year-round.

"It's not just this week only," she said. "It's important for us to be kind to others every single day of our lives."

"Every single day is a new day and a new opportunity to be kind to someone," she said. "Every day is a new day to spread kindness around the world-that's the message."