Cool Schools: Schmucker students take on Project To Be Kind

It's one of our greatest powers as human beings -- empathy and caring. Schmucker Middle School students have amplified that power with something as simple as a well placed sticky note. 

The school day started with levity for Schmucker middle school students on Friday, as each found an unconventional surprise waiting for them in their lockers. Kind words of encouragement from their classmates were posted in each one. 

"I thought it was a special surprise to brighten your day," said 8th grader Mackenzie Barker. 

"I thought it was really cool. Someone actually cares about me," said 8th grader Lauren Baker.

the result of hard work from a group of students and teachers, who stayed after school the previous Thursday preparing the notes. They call it Project TBK; To be kind. 

"With social media we are constantly being bombarded with negative sayings," said Caitlin Charnow, a 7th grade teacher. "So we thought it would be very powerful to have these kind words and try to have them overflow and fill up the school."

It's a simple concept with resonating force. Where kindness starts, bullying ends. 

The kindness notes are just phase 1 of Project TBK. Throughout the year the school is planning other random acts of kindness to raise morale.