By Peter Bernardino
Breaking News!!! Kind 30 has been moved to November. (But hopefully you were still kind in October.) Kind 30 is a challenge where Lovett tries to spread kindness for thirty days.
According to the Kind 30 website, three Atlanta women created this challenge with the goal “to extend kindness to others” for one month during the year. The co-founders, along with Mrs. Cole, (a board member of the Kind 30 organization), have tried to make the movement as accessible and flexible as possible. Because of this, Lovett was able to move the challenge by a month.
And perhaps the time shift makes sense. After all, November can be a stressful month for people due to many tests and projects. If you want to know who to thank, look for the Mental Health Liaisons. If it were not for their relentless work, Kind 30 may not have been moved.
To learn more about what the Mental Health Liaisons do, I sat in on one of their meetings.
Junior Hunter Silliman decided to join this group because he wanted to balance his “social events, sports, and rigorous academics.” As a liaison, he has a direct say in how Kind 30 can help him achieve this goal for everyone.
Co-leader of the club, Evan Lee, joined the team because he wanted the Mental Health Liaisons to make an impact on Lovett. He felt like they had been just talking about what they were going to do in the future. “Now I do see some sort of change because I have been able to take action,” he said.
As one of the managers of Kind 30, Evan plans to hand out bracelets during November and hopes to spread awareness about mental health and kindness.
One key aspect of Kind 30 is teachers, Evan believes. Evan wishes that teachers would be more understanding of students. “Perhaps being able to understand that their students are not only taking one AP, but two, but three, but four, but five, but six would make teachers seem more respectful,” Evan stated.
After hearing about Kind 30 from mental health leaders in our community, I wanted to see and hear Kindness in action. Over the past few weeks, I have been walking around the school looking for meaningful and kind acts.
When I went to the Cafe, Cafe Chris stated how “I’ve seen kids pay for their friends.” Cafe Chris has also seen kids pay for other students who are in line behind them.
I, myself, have seen teachers be flexible with deadlines for major assessments. Additionally, I’ve noticed small things, such as students holding doors for others or including someone at lunch.
Hopefully, this attitude toward people will be carried through November. Kindness can really make or break someone’s day. That’s why it’s especially important to respect people during the stressful month of November.
And beyond. “Hopefully, this kindness will continue after Kind 30 ends,” Evan said. Kind 30 is really a starting point for Lovett students to spread joy around the riverbank.
As Isabella Ying philosophically observed: “Why hate when you can love.”
