Wiesbaden Elementary School makes a difference outside of the classroom
Wiesbaden Elementary students collaborated to create handmade Valentine's Day cards for citizens of nursing homes and hospice facilities in Indiana and North Carolina. The students, from Meghan Frederick's and Maria Schultz's kindergarten and third-grade buddies, had open and honest conversations about the patients in the facilities. They talked about how they hoped the patients felt when they opened the cards, and why it is important to spread kindness.
Frederick and Schultz have a personal connection to Indiana and North Carolina patients who were and have been in hospice and nursing home facilities. When the two teachers came together to plan their "Caring School Community buddy lesson," they intentionally wanted to allow the students to feel the joy and love of making someone else's day a little brighter.
One of the third-grade students at WES shared that she felt happy making the cards for the patients with her kindergarten buddy. She hopes the patients know they are cared for and loved by someone. Another third-grade student at WES, told his peers and buddy that he plans to make as many cards as possible to brighten someone else's day.
To ensure that the facilities received the students' letters, the teachers contacted Hoosier Village Retirement Center in Indianapolis, IN, and the Hospice Care of Charlotte in Charlotte, NC. The facilities were happy to partner with the educators. Frederick shared that the Hospice Care of Charlotte eased her family's hearts and minds while her dad was in the facility. She feels she can never repay the staff for the kindness and grace shown during this challenging time. But, she hopes the small act of kindness from the students' cards will bring a smile to their faces.
This collaboration shows that there is no act of kindness too small. You never know how much a simple card or smile can add positivity to other's lives. With the help of DoDEA's Caring School Community curriculum, Frederick and Schultz provided students with one of the many thousands of ways children can impact the world for the better.
