During the month of December, Harley Avenue Primary students in Mrs. Schombs and Mrs. Millers second-grade class have been visited every day by a special guest—a moose named Fred. Every morning when Fred, also referred to as the “moose on the loose”, appears in the classroom, he has a different kindness challenge to give to the students. Some of the challenges have included writing a thank you note to someone special, volunteering for a good cause, and creating a kindness club.

Students have done a phenomenal job of extending kindness to those around them, and have seemed to absorb the concept’s importance.

“One of the most important things I learned is that it’s important to be kind to everyone…even when they’re not so kind to you,” said Logan, a second grader in Mrs. Schombs and Mrs. Miller’s class.

Students enjoyed accomplishing the challenges daily, and even resolved to start a kindness club—and had their first meeting on Dec. 18.

“We decided we wanted to start a club where we get together at recess and talk about ways we can be kind to others,” said second-grader Michaela. “Then at the end we come back and talk about how we were kind to other people.”

Mrs. Schombs and Mrs. Miller both agreed that they’re always looking for ways to better foster a climate of kindness in their classroom.

“Our hope is that the lessons that they learn while they are young will continue to be carried out as they get older,” said Mrs. Miller. “We feel that one of the most important things that we can teach our children is how to treat each other.”