Kent Road Spirit Week

Kent Road School is in good spirits after an innovative initiative from Grade 6 leadership students.

The past couple years of pandemic have brought about many challenges and caused teachers and students to navigate changing COVID-19 restrictions in the classroom, often affecting moods and atmosphere in the classroom.

Sandy de Jong is a Grade 6 Phys-Ed teacher at Kent Road School who also runs the student Leadership Program.

“I had this idea that we have to uplift the spirit in the school so I said to the kids in my leadership group –  let’s uplift the spirit in Kent Road.”

De jong and her students decided to have a Spirit Week each month until the end of the academic year in June 2022.

“A lot of the kids are participating and so are the teachers and I think it’s helping get our school some spirit,” said Katelyn Kemp a Grade 6 student in the leadership program.

Lifting school spirit has been embraced by the entire school. The staff at Kent Road School are incorporating spirit week themes into their curriculum to help maintain unity and community among the staff and students.

Ava Leroy-Rudg said her favourite day was rainbow day because “it shows you your differences and you can be creative with how you do it, shows that we have similarities and we should all be true to that.”

The month of November was focused around kindness. The students had kindness cards that they gave out to classmates and friends when acts of kindness were demonstrated. If someone picks up a shoe for them, opens the door when they are carrying something they can give them a kindness card and their name goes into a draw.

Jyzelle, a Grade 6 student, said it doesn’t matter what you look like if you’re tall and short or if you have black or blonde hair.

“We’re all the same people. Treat each other kind no matter who you are. Treat the younger grades kinder too because you were in that grade too,” she said.

Adding spirit to the life and culture of the school has been a positive experience for teachers, staff and students at Kent Road School.

De jong is very impressed with how well the vision from her leadership team has been received by the school.

“For the kids, they are very resilient but it has put a stress on them too. They can see it whether it’s a financial thing or they haven’t been able to see family and it definitely brings positivity to their lives.”