Clara H. Carlson School Unites for Unity Day Celebration

On Oct. 21, Clara H. Carlson School scholars joined students across the nation in recognizing Unity Day, a nationwide initiative that promotes kindness, acceptance and inclusion. To demonstrate their commitment to creating a positive school community, students and staff wore orange and participated in a variety of activities focused on respect, empathy and belonging.

Throughout the day, students embraced the message of “Be the ‘I’ in Kind,” reflecting on the important role everyone plays in fostering a welcoming environment. As part of the celebration, students posed with the school's “Be the ‘I’ in Kind” hallway display, stepping into the role of the “I” and symbolizing their personal commitment to kindness.

A centerpiece of the celebration was a schoolwide kindness chain project. Every classroom contributed orange paper links featuring words and messages centered on kindness and unity. 

To further support discussions about kindness and bullying prevention, teachers incorporated age-appropriate read-alouds into their classrooms, including “The Invisible Boy,” “A Little Spot of Kindness,” “The Juice Box Bully” and “Marlene, Marlene, Queen of Mean.” Through related conversations and activities, students explored positive character traits and discussed ways they can make others feel valued and included. Some classes also participated in a handheld mirror activity that encouraged the students to recognize and celebrate the qualities that make them special.

In recognition of the school's diverse community, positive messages and phrases promoting kindness were displayed throughout the building in the many languages spoken by scholars and their families, including Haitian Creole, Spanish, Mandarin Chinese, French, Bangla, Urdu, Punjabi and Pashto. With support from the school's ENL teachers, students were able to read and connect with messages of acceptance and unity in their home languages, highlighting the rich cultural diversity represented within the school.

Adding to the excitement of the day, students listened to a special Unity Day rap written and performed by sixth grader A'siah Hobbs, which was broadcast over the loudspeaker. The performance reinforced the day's message that kindness is contagious and that even simple gestures, such as a smile, can brighten someone's day.