Education
Sego Lily students make kindness a habit
Megan Wallgren | Lehi Free Press
Sego Lily Elementary School students are creating a culture of kindness, thoughtfulness and unity through a kindness challenge. Students have risen to the occasion in how they treat each other and teachers, even surprising one teacher with a party.
Sego Lily’s instructional learning coach, Tiffany Coles, described how students initiated the party.
“We had two fifth-grade girls who took the initiative and approached the office for a meeting. They had a surprise in mind: decorate their teacher’s room for her birthday. They had a detailed plan ready,” shared Sego Lily’s instructional learning coach, Tiffany Coles.
The party included balloons, streamers, cake, soda and the teacher’s favorite Taylor Swift song. Everything was planned and pulled off by the students while staff kept the teacher out of her classroom.
“It was so sweet that they did that all on their own,” Coles said. “Their teacher was grinning from ear to ear. They were so kind, and you could tell she was floating all day long.”
Sego Lily’s kindness challenge is part of a monthly focus on character. In past months, they’ve focused on balance, endurance and awareness.
“Each week, the challenge is to be kind,” said Coles. Teachers and staff have wooden nickels to give out to students they catch demonstrating kindness. Kids bring the tokens to the office to exchange for a treat, and their names go into a weekly drawing for prizes.
“They are really stepping up to the challenge,” Coles said. “I see kids coming in with piles of trash they’ve picked up at recess. Kids drop off notes to their teacher and include others at recess. A child never comes into the office alone when they’re hurt because they all just want to help and be kind.”
Coles has also noticed a difference on the crosswalk in the mornings. “Kids greet others and say kind things like, ‘I’m glad you’re here,’ or, ‘I like your shoes,’ before I can even say anything. It’s really refreshing.”
