‘Positive Message’ enrichment at Peet recognizing staff efforts

At Peet Junior High School there are many Tiger Time enrichments that take place each month, but rarely are they something positive to reflect back to staff rather than just occupy students’ time. 

Kaitlyn Bolger is a special education teacher at Peet and started an enrichment this month to give back to staff at the school. The enrichment is throughout the month of April and should be finished before May. The group of eighth grade and seventh grade girls that signed up meet every Thursday in Bolger’s room and are encouraged to invite friends as well.

The enrichment is called “Positive Messages,” and the girls make May Day baskets for each staff member that varies based on their favorite colors and candy and attach a personalized positive note for every faculty member. 

Bolger said that the enrichment was formed because “a student came to me and wanted to create an enrichment to spread positivity, and I volunteered to host it, and I didn’t really have a set vision for it, so I let them run with it and direct where it went and put in their own input.” 

Bolger has been buying supplies from Dollar Tree and Target to help students make the baskets, using different colors and candies. The staff and faculty were sent a Google Doc for them to fill out their preferences, and the girls used this information when crafting. 

Bolger thought that this enrichment was a great idea because she is a firm believer in kindness. “By the end of the year everyone kinda gets anxious to be on summer break, and so this will remind everyone to bring a little kindness to others.” 

The girls have been working together well for a few weeks now and are hoping to have the baskets done soon. “The girls want to continue this enrichment into May and give them out for May Day but might extend longer because there are a lot of people to make these for.” 

Once they are finally complete, the girls plan to hand deliver the baskets to all of the faculty. “Each student will take a handful and put in a Google Form where the staff is during Tiger Time.  Students goal was to deliver them before May Day but possibly into May because of the amount of staff. The girls will take a group of buckets and distribute them to everyone in the building: custodians to lunch staff, teachers, secretaries, paras.”

Any students that will be attending Peet next year are encouraged to sign up for this enrichment next April, and Bolger said she hopes other schools will follow this example. She said kindness makes everyone feel good and hopes that kindness and positivity will spread even more throughout the district as students remind staff that they are thankful for all they do.

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