Kindness Rocks in Port Jeff Schools!
The idea that one kind message can change a person’s life
was the inspiration that two Port Jefferson educators put into place to
encourage a districtwide embrace of the worldwide Kindness Rocks
Project.
Special education teachers Paige Lohmann and Jeanette
Garofola received a grant from the Port Jefferson Royal Educational
Foundation to host Kindness Rocks Project founder Megan Murphy to share
her story about the power of kindness and positivity, and how a simple
gesture of designing and writing encouraging messages on rocks can have a
lasting effect on someone.
“The idea resonated when I see how stressful at times it can
be being a kid these days,” Ms. Lohmann said. “Their academic, social
and emotional well-being is so fragile. It’s important for children to
support each other, and sometimes the thought is there but they don’t
know how to articulate it.”
The Kindness Rocks Project offered a solution. The rocks
have become a simple and creative way to show students a way of being
kind and to think of others, especially during adolescent years when
academic and social pressures intensify. The first weeks of school have
been inspiring all around – even parents got into the fun when, during
Port Jefferson Middle School’s Open House night, they left messages of
gratitude, encouragement and affirmations for their children to find
when they returned to school the next morning. Plans are ongoing in both
Edna Louise Spear Elementary School and the middle school to create a
rock garden in the springtime where students can leave or take a rock
when they need one the most.
“With the generosity of the Royal Educational Foundation and
the thoughtful leadership of these two teachers for bringing this
worthy project to our district, we can continue to promote and
strengthen a positive school culture,” Port Jefferson Middle School
Principal Dr. Robert Neidig said.