Bluewater District School Board

Bluewater's Kindness Project at Arran-Tara Elementary School page

Kindness Project at Arran-Tara Elementary School

Kindness Project at Arran-Tara Elementary School
Posted on 12/15/2023
Butterfly drawing created by studentStudents in Barb Gordon's Grade 2 class at Arran-Tara Elementary School are modeling kindness during the season of giving!

Students recently learned about the story, The Man with the Violin, based on the real life experiment of Joshua Bell, an award-winning violinist, who visited a Washington metro station and played his violin for 43 minutes.  Of the more than 1,000 people who walked by, only seven stopped to listen for less than a minute.  The outcome of the experiment points to the busyness of our day-to-day lives and our fear.  Joshua earned $32.17 that day when he is regularly paid over $100 per ticket when performing at a concert. 

As a follow-up to the story, the students were each given $1, but not to spend on themselves.  Each was encouraged to pause from their busyness and consider something they could do with their dollar that would make a difference for someone else.  The point of the exercise was to show the students how one small act could grow into something huge! 
Here are some amazing examples of the student acts of kindness that resulted:

Coen decided to buy markers with his dollar and began colouring pictures to give away for a donation.  The money raised would be dedicated to Grey Bruce Hospice with a goal of $50.  Coen's colouring campaign has now surpassed $6,000!

Emmett knew he wanted to make a difference for his great grandmother, who recently moved an hour away into a nursing home.  No longer living locally has prevented Emmett and his family from seeing her as frequently.  With Christmas approaching, the sad reality set in that she would not be with them Christmas morning for the first time given the difficulty that traveling back and forth poses for her.  Emmett was so concerned that his great grandmother might feel lonely, he decided to spend his dollar on a pack of candy canes and use his craft supplies to turn them into little reindeer.  He is hoping to sell these for 25 cents in an effort to grow his dollar and surprise her with dinner out at the restaurant located across the road from her new home.  If if he can grow it enough, he will also get her a 'little something' to remind her of how loved she is.

Ana is making a difference by selling scrunchies that she made with her mother using the dollar provided by Mrs. Gordon.  The scrunchies are being sold for $5 each at a few local hair salons with the proceeds going to The Women’s Center Grey Bruce, a nonprofit organization that provides shelter and programs to women, children, and youth experiencing violence and abuse in their lives.

The incredible generosity of our Arran-Tara Tigers exemplifies the countless acts of kindness that are occurring across Bluewater District School Board at this time of year!
Bluewater District School Board is located on the traditional land of the Saugeen Ojibway Nation, which is represented by the communities of Saugeen First Nation and Chippewas of Nawash Unceded First Nation.
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