Small Students, Big Hearts

March 10, 2019

“They’re five and six years old.  Their hearts are so big,” said Kindergarten teacher Ms. Laura Baird.  The James Hill Elementary teacher helped inspire her class to put kindness into action with an initiative she refers to as “Coins for Kindness.”

“They were having a conversation in Social Studies class about different types of families. They showed real interest in the fact that some families don’t have food, toys and houses. They felt that was wrong an they wanted to do something about it,” explained Principal Mrs. Kendra Simonetto on how it all got started.

Simonetto reached out to the Langley School District Foundation to see if a donation from the class fits the charity’s needs.  The money fundraised would go in support of the Christmas Hamper program which helps families in need in our community.

Thereafter, students got started on the philanthropy project that hit literacy, numeracy and core competencies.

“They came up with the idea. They wanted to help. I was there to help them help. We made sure they did every step of the process. They made the posters, they collected the money, they sorted the money, they counted the money.  They did everything,” added Baird.

On Thursday, the class accompanied by their teacher and principal walked over to the school board office to hand in a giant “cheque” created by the students. It was a teaching moment not just for the students but for the adults too.

“They have this global perspective that they need to be contributing citizens to the world…Never underestimate the power of a child. They have big ideas and it’s our job to facilitate and make that happen for them,” noted Simonetto.

For information on donating to the Langley School District Foundation click here.