November is World Kindness Month, a natural moment to pause, reflect, and practice gratitude as Thanksgiving approaches. At Eagle Hill, our community has embraced this season wholeheartedly through activities that build meaningful connections and strengthen the core competencies of our social-emotional learning (SEL) curriculum. Rooted in the CASEL framework, these skills- self-awareness, self-management, social awareness, relationship skills, and responsible decision-making- guide students toward understanding themselves, caring for others, and contributing positively to our community.
This month, we returned to the very first theme of our SEL curriculum: self-awareness. As School Counselor Allison Modica shared, “Our first unit is self-awareness. And this all goes into how we are being aware of our own actions and how we can bring joy to other people… how our actions affect other people, and how we want to be treated by others.”
This lens helped our students reflect not only on what kindness looks like, but why it matters. When children understand their own feelings, intentions, and choices, they begin to recognize how those actions ripple outward: lifting others, strengthening friendships, and filling emotional “buckets” all across campus.
Catching Kindness: The Kindness Initiative
One of the most joyful traditions this month was our kindness initiative. Community members were encouraged to notice and practice genuine acts of kindness- big or small- and “catch” each other making a positive difference. When teachers witnessed a student offering to help, including others, or making a thoughtful choice, they wrote their name on a kindness ticket that was added to the kindness jar. Each Friday in November, a member of our counseling team drew three tickets, and the winners received a coveted civvies (free dress) pass.
But the real reward? The pride and happiness students felt in being recognized for their kindness.
As Allison shared, the students were eager to participate: “They were really excited to put tickets in the jar. And that feels nice to see… They would say, ‘Oh, look, I got two tickets from this person because…’ They loved to share what they got the tickets for.”
The initiative created a beautiful cycle:
- Students practiced self-awareness by noticing their own actions.
- They built social awareness by recognizing how others felt.
- They strengthened relationship skills by celebrating kindness together.
- They engaged in responsible decision-making by choosing to act thoughtfully.
- They developed self-management as they held onto their tickets and followed through with intentional acts.
“It was not only the original act of kindness,” Allison reflected, “they also felt good about themselves and proud for being acknowledged for that.”
A Kindness Tree Takes Root in the Lower School
In the Lower School, students are bringing kindness to life in a special way. With the creative help of art teacher Hannah Jupiter, students are creating a Kindness Tree, a growing art piece where acts of kindness, moments of gratitude, and messages of encouragement are displayed as leaves.
Each leaf represents a moment where someone filled another’s emotional bucket or recognized when someone filled theirs. The tree will serve as a joyful, colorful reminder that kindness is something we cultivate together.
A Month of Gratitude, A Year of Growth
As we look back on November, one thing is clear: kindness isn’t just an initiative at Eagle Hill, it’s a practice woven into who we are. Our students learn every day that kindness strengthens community, builds confidence, and creates joy.
And as we head into the holiday season, we’re grateful for the ways our students lift each other up, notice the good, and make our campus a place where everyone feels seen, valued, and connected.
Here’s to kindness that lasts long beyond November and to the many ways our students continue to help each other soar.
