Student Team 'Stamping Out Exclusion' Feb.26-March 2

A student team of high school students from The John Cooper School will lead an initiative titled “The Kindness Project: Stamping Out Exclusion” during the week of February 26 through March 2.

The Cooper team, made up of sophomores Alena Fayaz, Avery Schlichter and Zoe Tait, learned about the 2nd Annual Kind School Challenge, a national initiative to promote inclusivity in schools around the country, and was selected as one of 10 finalist teams from around the country to participate in the 2nd Annual Kind Schools Challenge.

Their project will take place through various activities on campus, the week of February 26 through March 2. The Cooper team is very enthusiastic about implementing their “Stamping Out Exclusion” project by promoting student interactions throughout the week that facilitate meaningful conversations.

They will implement the project by providing opportunities for people who might not usually talk to each other to break barriers and obtain mutual insights. “Cooper is a nurturing environment, however, we have identified that students rarely engage people outside their friend group,” Schlichter explained. “We believe this is not a problem unique to Cooper, we see this happening in most communities where people rarely engage with those who are different from them. These differences may be racial, ethnic, political, religious, social or economical status, etc.”

Tait continued, “We believe people are not intentionally mean, they are just not willing to step out of the comfort zone,” she said. “With this project, our goal is to challenge to do just that: step out of their comfort zone, by focusing on the commonalities, and not the differences.”

Teammate Fayaz clarifies her belief by saying, “I believe that we humans are more alike than we are different, and through this project, people are being given the opportunity to realize this fact."

The Kindness Project is an initiative created by the Harvard foundation, Making Caring Common, to promote better understanding and kindness in academic institutions. “When kindness is fostered in a school community, kids feel safer, more engaged, and have stronger relationships that buoy them,” said Richard Weissbourd, a psychologist, senior lecturer at the Harvard Graduate School of Education and faculty director of Making Caring Common. “We appreciate the dedication from all our finalists to make kindness a priority in their school communities.”

For social media updates on the nationwide campaign:
Caring Schools Campaign:  https://mcc.gse.harvard.edu/high-school-campaign
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/events/190540218346861/