Artitude Project – coloring on a paper
We are pleased to report another successful Meghan Voisine Kindness Matters Grant cycle for this past school year. Applications for grants were released in the fall of 2023 to students and youth organizations in Suffield. Criteria for the projects included the promotion of kindness, friendship, inclusion and service to others. These grants honor the life of our daughter Meghan and promote kindness in our Suffield community. We were proud to fund several projects over the past school year.
At McAlister, the fifth grade Student Council completed the Kindness Rocks project. All fifth-grade students designed and painted a river rock with a kindness theme, then placed them all over Suffield. Additionally, they made “make your own” kindness rock kits and sold them at the book fair. If you find a rock around town, pick it up, leave it for someone else or move it to a new location to spread the joy! The remaining kindness rocks will be displayed in the soon to be renovated landscaped playground at McAlister School.
Also, at McAlister, a grant funded the Free Little Library Club’s kindness project. A Free Little Library display was purchased to provide free books for children who may not be able to afford them and to promote a love of reading. By stocking the Free Little Library with books that let people know that they are not alone, children can feel better about themselves. The club intends to use titles provided by Milo Graham’s Helping You Help Us project from two years ago. Users will feel as though they are part of the community as they engage in borrowing and donating books that promote kindness and inclusion. Look for the Free Little Library to be located near the Kindness Rock Garden at McAlister’s new playground.
McAlister and Spaulding’s Art teachers including grades 2, 3 and 5 participated in the Empty Bowls Project. The project took place in conjunction with the Soup & Sing evening, a concert put on by grades 2 and 3. The students designed ceramic bowls, then painted and glazed them as part of their art lesson, and then sold them the night of the concert. Empty Bowls is a grass roots movement by artists and craftspeople around the world to raise money for food related charities. The proceeds ($2,000+) were donated to the Suffield Community Aid Food Bank to help members of our community care for and feed their families.
At the middle school, the FCCLA SMS Chapter undertook a Kookies for Kindness project, making cookies to show appreciation for people in town who work behind the scenes to make the town run smoothly. Cookie recipients included Suffield Public Works, Senior Center, Parks & Recreation, Kent Memorial Library and the Central Office. The students collaborated, designed, prepared, baked and packaged the cookies with a note of appreciation prior to distributing them around town.
The eighth grade Flex group created a Kindness Grows bulletin board that was prominently displayed at the entrance of Suffield Middle School. The students went with an evergreen tree motif which was adorned with pinecones with positive messages on them which students and staff could add to.
The Suffield High Girls’ Lacrosse team’s Kindness Matters/Morgan’s Message project promoted inclusion, while voicing support for those in our community who struggle with mental health, specifically our student athletes. The SHS Lacrosse team designed t-shirts with logos displaying their message, and during a game against Canton both teams wore the shirts during warm-ups. Many youth lacrosse players also attended the game and participated in the pre-game activities; words about mental health were spoken during half time. T-shirts and Kindness Matters stickers were also sold by the team, with proceeds donated to the Meghan Voisine Kindness Matters Fund and Morgan’s Message Foundation. Two days after the event, a local college coach commented that she was so impressed by the event that she asked to use the logo for her team next fall. The next time Suffield played Canton, all of their players wore the t-shirts again.
For the first time this year, we awarded a grant to a student at Suffield Academy. Millie Janevathanavitya proposed an art therapy program called Artitude. Artitude’s mission is to raise awareness of mental health and utilize art therapy to combat the pressing issue. Milly organized her fellow students to create kits of watercolor paints, brushes and paper that she used to hold workshops at several sites in Suffield. Judging by positive responses at Suffield Senior Center and Suffield Community Aid, Milly’s Artitude has been a big success.
On the first day of school in September 2024, all Suffield Public School teachers and staff will be wearing “Kindness Matters” t-shirts. The t-shirt design is the result of a contest held within the school system, with the winning design submitted by second grader Charlotte Baranski. It is hoped that this simple message will set the tone for a year of kindness within the school system.
High school student Ellie Finnigan worked tirelessly to focus on mental health awareness at SHS. In October, during Mental Health Week, she had a table set up in the main hallway, providing mental health information and materials for students, as well as items to de-stress. During Mental Health Awareness Month in May she created a Wildcat Wellness Calendar including therapeutic activities throughout the month such as afternoon tea/coloring/music, outdoor nature walks, making friendship bracelets, sidewalk chalk art and tissue paper flower craft. Ellie’s focus on mental health was to destigmatize the issue and to help students to realize they are not alone.
For the first time, we awarded a Meghan Voisine Kindness Matters Scholarship. Suffield High School teachers were asked to nominate students who exhibited kindness and inclusion in their daily lives. We were pleased to award a $1,000 scholarship to Kaitlyn Ramaglia, who was nominated by her teacher Ms. Julie Haefner. Ms. Haefner noted that “Kaitlyn took the initiative to reach out to a fellow student who was struggling to make friends in our class. Not only did she introduce herself and initiate conversations with this student, but she went above and beyond to ensure their inclusion and participation in group activities.” We wish Kaitlyn all the best as she continues her education and carries her kindness beyond the town of Suffield.
Suffield High School Art teachers included several clubs to participate in their own Kindness Rocks project. They created many beautifully painted rocks painted with positive messages and displayed them along the stone paths in the school’s courtyard. The collaboration of these groups of students truly added beauty and provided a welcoming message to all who visit the courtyard.
We are so grateful for all of the support and beautiful acts of kindness that Suffield students and teachers brought to our community. Their passion to do beautiful things for their peers and our community are something that we should all commend. We look forward to this fall when applications for Meghan Voisine Kindness grants will be opened again and hope that our students and teachers keep this beautiful movement going.