Kindness: the quality of being friendly, generous, and considerate. Some may wonder what it really means to be kind. Is it helping that kid in your class with homework? Taking your dog for a walk so your mom doesn’t have to?  Or is it giving a gift to someone? The truth is kindness to one may be something different to another. But kindness is really coming out of the good of the heart, not to be rewarded or given praise. In today’s world and age, you can see the shift–where we don’t go out of our way for people and we’re too wrapped up in our own lives to pay attention to others. Do we live in a world where being kind is only a thing we do when we need or want something out of it? It’s hard to think that this could be true, that there are people who do not practice the act of being kind. But for some, you can continue the practice of kindness by participating in random acts of kindness. A simple act of being kind can make someone’s day. No incentive is needed, nobody asking for something, but doing something to simply be kind.

      RAKtivism is the action of performing random acts of kindness. Mrs. Stallings has made it an important part of her classes to learn about and complete random acts of kindness. Each student is given a calendar for the month of November with ideas of different kindness acts. Students are also given the freedom to create their own acts of kindness and complete them. RAKtivism played a big role in these students’ lives: changing the way they may act or even view kindness in the world. We now can reflect with these students on the kind acts they did and how it was important to each of them in different ways. 

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“She wasn’t smiling like she always does. When I noticed this, I wrote cheerful messages on post-it notes trying to cheer her up…RAKtivism doesn’t only help other people feel good about themselves, it also helps me personally. When I give out a random act of kindness, it makes me feel like a good person. I absolutely love that feeling.” 

-Benjamyn Stratton, junior

“On Thanksgiving day, after everyone was eating, I encouraged an afternoon walk on the scenic trails only a short walk away from my house. Just seeing them happy, knowing they didn’t have any other cares at the moment, made me extremely happy as well…Not only has kindness helped me to reflect on my own experience, but also others. If I can make myself happy and can make anyone else feel that way too!” 

-Alyssa Rash, junior

“One Saturday morning, I woke up early in the morning and sat outside on my porch. I admired the sun as it rose off in the distance…Sometimes, you just “never get that kind of a feeling; the feeling of tranquility. So, what I’ve learned through my experiences with RAKtivism is that making other people happy, makes me happy. Now that I’ve had this revelation, I’ll continue to make people happy, as long as I’m still in this human body.

-Lukas Deemer, junior 

“My mom works very hard to maintain our house and weekly clean, so when she asked me to do a few things around the house, I put no hesitation to sweep upstairs, dust my room, and fold the laundry because I know small things like that help her out a lot… Being kind isn’t hard, does not take the time or even much effort, and RAKtivism proves that. Showing gratitude by being kind is a feeling that could never be bought.” 

-Mia Myers, sophomore 

“I spent time talking to a friend who did not feel great about himself and his situation with his friends and current lifestyle. This easily had the greatest impact on me, as it felt amazing to really make a difference in someone’s life and to have such a good friend… This month was a fantastic experiment. It was great to find out how I can make other people feel and the impact I have on them. In the future, I would like to add on and keep searching as to how I can be a better person, friend, family member, and teammate.” 

-Jack Dixon, sophomore 

“I wrote a letter for my grandparents and saved it for when I could see them in person to read it to them, which was at dinner the day before Thanksgiving. In the letter, I expressed how much they meant to me and how special it was for me to be lucky enough to spend my Thanksgiving in Florida with them. I shared with them how thankful and blessed I am to have them in my life. I started as an intentional RAKtivist with good intentions to positively impact someone’s day, but as the month continued I started to catch myself doing random acts of kindness instinctively.”

-Robin Reilly, sophomore 

“I did not know how much a small compliment could just turn someone’s day around till I got one. It boosts your confidence so much and makes your day 10 times better. When I complimented someone on their outfit a smile lit up her face and I could tell that she was truly touched by what I said. I really feel that in this world we need more kindness and I am so happy that I could start that change just a little in this world. I am so happy that I could make my life and someone else’s life just a little better by being kind.” 

-Eva Desanders, sophomore 

    Random acts of kindness not only can benefit those who receive but also the ones who give. Kindness can be given in any way thought of, big or small, it has no limits or boundaries. Kindness can make a lasting impact on those who do it with a purpose, not for a reward or incentive, but just to do it for someone else. These students started their RAKtivism journey with this merely being an assignment they had to complete. Throughout the month this assignment turned out to be a change in so many of their lives. When being kind you can discover that kindness is not what you do, its a way to live. 

“There are three ways to ultimate success: The first way is to be kind. The second way is to be kind. The third way is to be kind.”

-Mr. Rogers, GLSD class of 1946