Marticville Middle School and Manor Middle School students embraced the power of kindness at an assembly during the first week of school. The assembly featured Doug Reavis, who is a National Kindness Speaker and founded YouUplift.
Reavis grew up in a household with a younger brother, Chris, that had special needs. When his family moved to a new town and school, he had the opportunity to make new friends and make a positive impression on his classmates.
During lunch one day, he and a fellow student befriended a classmate that was getting bullied by another student.
From that day forward, Reavis was intentional about how he was going to treat others and approach them with kindness and compassion. Since that day he has cognizantly chosen to live each day, just like Chris would — with joy and compassion.
Throughout the assembly, he challenged the students to remain kind to all of their peers. Reavis emphasized that kindness is not only a gift for the person who receives it, but also a gift of happiness for the person who gives it.
Following Reavis’ presentation, the middle schools were given access to their individual school’s Kindness Uplift website. Students, staff and parents can submit encouraging messages that are sent to the principal for approval. Once approved, the messages become active on the website during the following school day.
Dr. Shirley Murray, Principal at Manor Middle, said “YouUplift assembly wasn’t just another school assembly program. It was a powerful message that resonated deeply with our middle school students, leaving them not just inspired, but ready to make a difference and live a happier life by being kind to others. This builds on the Penn Manor School District vision to build a better community… one student at a time.”