SAUK VILLAGE SCHOOL RECEIVES NATIONAL RECOGNITION

Students at Wagoner Elementary School found out they were named the National Teach Kindness Challenge Champion on Monday, Feb. 24. Photo credit: Opal Anderson, CCSD 168
Students at Wagoner Elementary School found out they were named the National Teach Kindness Challenge Champion on Monday, Feb. 24. Photo credit: Opal Anderson, CCSD 168

Sauk Village school receives national recognition

BY TIA CAROL JONES

Wagoner Elementary School in Sauk Village is the National Teach Kindness Challenge Champion. The students learned about the honor at an assembly on Monday, Feb. 24. The school was chosen out of 650 schools throughout the United States.

Teach Kindness, created by Stand for Children, is a four-week program that includes activities to increase social emotional learning and foster a kinder school culture. The goal is to make kindness more common in elementary and middle schools.

Dr. Donna Simpson Leak is the superintendent of Community Consolidated School District 168. Leak said every year, she receives information about Teach Kindness and shares the information with the school, as an alternative to do something different with the children.

One of the principal’s goals at Wagoner, “was really focused around culture and climate in the building,” according to Leak. She added the principal felt the program was a really good fit for the kids, community, staff and the parents.

To get them excited, in September, the school received the information and started to talk to the students and staff about it.

In January, Leak said she received a phone call that Wagoner was one of five finalists. Then, the school had a follow-up, where the school did a presentation about the activities they did. On Feb. 4, the school received the call they had been named National Champions.

“We knew, but it was a surprise for the kids, they had no idea. All they knew was that they were finalists and Stand for Children was coming to give them an award, but they had no idea they had won the whole thing,” Leak said.

The look on the kids faces on Monday, Feb. 24, was remarkable, added Leak. She said the kids couldn’t believe they had won and were pretty excited. Leak, who said the recognition swelled her heart, added it was overwhelming to see the students being rewarded for taking on something just because they wanted to be a kinder school.

“Just to see them all come together around one singular idea of what they could be and who they felt like they needed to be, it was really quite powerful,” she said.

Leak said she is absolutely grateful to the principal, Dr. Sharon Paver-Nepote, assistant principal Monica Laux, and the rest of the staff for the work they did on the project.

“They didn’t have to go 150, 175, 200 percent. They could’ve done it at 100 percent and felt really proud,” she said. “The fact that they took on that challenge and did something that is powerful and meaningful for those young people for the rest of their lives and potential generations to come who will benefit from the work they put in, I cannot express my intense thankfulness to them.”

Mimi Rodman, executive director of Stand for Children Illinois, said the work Wagoner did made an impact.

“The impact of what Wagoner’s teachers, students, and families are accomplishing extend far beyond the walls of their school building to inspire Illinois and indeed this country,” Rodman said in a release. “At a time when 21 percent of high school students are bullied, we are reminded of the importance of social-emotional learning and fostering kindness beginning at an early age. This is so important for our students and for retaining our teachers.”

Daniel O’Donnell, director of Teach Kindness, said kindness is a skill that can and should be taught.

“Students at Wagoner Elementary School have demonstrated that even our youngest students are receptive to high-quality social-emotional learning, and that they’re capable of extraordinary things when schools are intentional about teaching and fostering kindness,” O’Donnell said in a release. “We are thrilled to honor the achievement of Wagoner Elementary School students and staff, and we invite schools nationwide to join the movement for kindness.”

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