This fall, Spirit Week at Elwood Middle School was coupled with daily kindness challenges. To encourage true spirit amongst students, the daily themes, such as pajama day, hero day or Elwood day, were paired with acts of kindness, including lending a helping hand or telling someone why they’re important.

Students enjoyed the combination of these two ideas, feeling a renewed sense of unity with the friends they’ve been attending school with since kindergarten. 

“All week, people have been complimenting each other, and it’s really nice to hear,” said eighth grader Grace Porter. “Everyone’s been saying ‘I like your spirit,’ and it’s just a nice reminder that going to Elwood is like being a part of a family.” 

In the halls, students passed each other, waving and complimenting others on their attire of the day. In the cafeteria, students stuck positive post-it comments onto posters and hung them on the walls. 

“Solidifying the idea that we should treat everyone with kindness is definitely an important life lesson,” said Principal Christina Sapienza.