Last month’s tragedy at Sandy Hook Elementary School had an effect on everyone, and a group of student at Colonie Central High School want to turn that negative impact into kindness.
Colonie Central High School’s iCARE program, which launched last year, aims to promote anti-bullying but also inspire good character. After the Newtown, Conn., shooting, the group came up with a campaign for the school’s nearly 2,000 students to commit 26 acts of kindness over 26 days in honor of each of the victims. If a teacher witnesses a good deed, students receive a black ribbon with the number 26 on it.
“We wanted to make some good come of something so awful,” said Rachel Tenny, a 16-year-old junior in the unofficial club. “Do one act of kindness for each victim and carry that into our daily lives in school. We want to inspire people to do acts of kindness all the time, but we’re going to start with 26.”
The program launched on Jan. 4 and the ribbon giveaways are quickly catching on around the school. Students can receive a ribbon for doing something as simple as smiling at a teacher or standing up for someone who is being victimized, and display it on their clothing or backpacks.
“We go through the whole month and impress it upon students to just be more aware of how they’re acting and interacting with each other so they do choose a more positive path when they decide to do something,” said Associate Principal Thomas Kachadurian, who is also the group’s advisor.
The student-run club, which stands for Integrity, Community, Accountability, Respect and Empathy, emphasized that they hope committing one act per day can turn into a habit for their peers.
“One of our big goals is to be a voice for the voiceless,” said. Jason Neal, a 17-year-old senior and the campaign’s leader.
The core iCARE group is made up of about 12 students, and several said they were all affected by the tragedy in their own way.
“My initial thought was, I have a younger brother, he just turned 6 in January,” Neal said. “I was thinking that could’ve been him. I couldn’t imagine my life without my brother. I couldn’t imagine how the families in Connecticut could’ve felt.”
So far, the acts of kindness, and the scope of the Newtown tragedy itself, have brought a sense of unity to the school.
“It was definitely really close to home for everybody. Those kids are students, we’re students. So we’re the same,” Tenny said through tears. “It could happy to anybody. Kids are supposed to think they’re invincible. Kids even as old as us, we’re supposed to think we’re invincible. Kids aren’t supposed to die.”
The club has had several other campaigns, including selling blue and green ribbons in honor of the victims in the December Shenendehowa/Shaker high school Northway crash. The $400 in proceeds went to a scholarship in the victims’ honor. The also group asked high school students to write letters to fourth graders about advice for transitioning to the middle and high schools. Come Memorial Day, they are planning another campaign to honor fallen veterans.
The club hosts movie nights throughout the school year, featuring movies like “The Breakfast Club” and “Mean Girls” that focus on some of the social troubles in high school.
With the school’s 26 acts of kindness campaign drawing to an end, the iCARE club is hoping other schools will catch on and adopt a similar program.
“Even when we stop giving out ribbons, the kindness act should still carry on,” said Barry Betz, a 15-year-old freshman in the club.