After debating numerous ideas with their advisor and middle school teacher Cindy Chuang, the students decided their favorite was a project called Kindness Rocks. The students painted rocks with inspiring quotes and images and then hid them around the playground.
“They came up with all the designs themselves,” said Chuang. “Some of them were just pictures, some of them were quotes like Dory’s ‘just keep swimming’ line. There were so many good ones.”
The rocks featured everything from SpongeBob to superheroes, even Peppa Pig!
“It was mainly for the elementary students, but the middle schoolers got a kick out of it, too. This was the talk for almost two weeks. Everybody wanted to go out to find a rock,” said Chuang.
Students were encouraged to keep or pass the rock on to someone else, promoting kindness and goodwill.
Chuang says this project allowed the students to see the immediate impact of their service. Unlike traditional fundraisers where the outcomes may be months away or never seen, Kindness Rocks instantly brought smiles to many people’s faces. She said the students loved it so much that it might become an ongoing tradition.
Some of the other projects NJHS members participated in this year included canned food drives, flower grams for charity, and making Christmas cards for nursing home residents.
Each year the students come up with a variety of activities to support local organizations and causes. Projects like these have helped Keystone outperform the local district for 15 years.
“I'm just incredibly proud of everything that they've done all year, all the hard work, and the morning meetings, and the time that they spend after school,” said Chuang. “They have definitely dedicated a lot of time to making our organization successful.”
Congratulations Keystone National Junior Honor Society members for finding a unique way to brighten someone's day!
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About Keystone Academy
Keystone Academy is a tuition-free, public charter school in Belleville, Michigan, serving students in Young 5s through eighth grade. It is part of the National Heritage Academies network, which includes more than 100 tuition-free, public charter schools serving more than 65,000 students in kindergarten through 12th grade across nine states. For more information, visit nhaschools.com.
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