Akron Elementary School’s Kindness Club seeks to spread positivity in the school in various ways throughout the school year. Pictured in front, from left, are Kyndra Wright, Cristal Ramirez, Natalia Ortiz and Maci Parker. In back are Gunnar Crispen, Avery Wagoner, Evelyn Ramirez, Jade Ramirez and Deb Miller.

AKRON — Every year the Akron Elementary School’s Kindness Club finds new ways to bring positivity to the school. This year the club is getting the whole school involved on a more personal level with a kindness chain and shout outs.

For the kindness chain, teachers receive a bag filled with strips of papers. Teachers and students then write positive things done by others in the school. Like the counting chain done in younger elementary, the students link the papers together in a chain, celebrating the positive acts performed in the school.

“The goal is for all classes to made classroom chains, then to eventually add those chains together to make one big chain to hang around the school,” explained Akron School counselor and Kindness Club sponsor Deb Miller.

While students can write the positivity down for students and teachers to read, they can also give another student a shout out while in class. Students can recognize another student for a positive action they performed or statement they said.

“This year the students talked about wanting to ask classes to do shout outs which began in Andrew Murphy’s fifth grade class. It’s a way for a student to share a positive comment about another student,” stated Miller.

The Kindness Club is comprised of four fourth grade and four fifth grade students who are selected by recommendations from teachers and Miller. Throughout the year, the club decorates the schools with posters, create videos against bullying for guidance lessons and address bullying and how to treat others with kindness.

“This club has been going for several years,” said Miller. “It became the Kindness Club after having a speaker from Rachel’s Challenge and her message about being kind to everyone.”