March 15, 2017

Sr. Mary Bourdon, RJM, Head of School, Washington School for Girls

Washington School for Girls is a co-sponsored ministry of the Society of Holy Child Jesus.

Earlier this month we concluded our celebration of Catholic Schools Week with Kindness Day. A Catholic identity is the core of our community, and one expression of this identity is maintaining the safe, kind, and respectful environment that our girls know and love.

The girls started Kindness Day with a prayer service followed by a role-playing activity about the negative effects of bullying and unkind behavior. Working in small groups, students practiced various constructive and positive reactions for times when bullying occurs.

To further understand the effects of an individual’s words or actions, students learned about the “ripple effect.” Each group was given a bucket of water and every member in the group received a handful of sprinkles that represented their actions. As they tossed their sprinkles into the bucket, they could see and more readily understand how far their actions can go.

A most moving portion of the day was the letter-writing activity. Students were asked to write a letter to someone who has hurt them, as well as a letter to someone they have hurt. While letters were not given to the recipients, nor individuals identified, all were able to understand the concept of forgiveness and how it can be used in their lives. With a group apology and a group statement of forgiveness, the girls were reminded of the community of kindness that they are fortunate enough to experience daily!