Acts of kindness happen daily in our OCSB schools, and we feel blessed to be a part of it. In June 2023, an act of kindness and inclusion touched the hearts of our entire OCSB community. During the OCSB Track and Field Meet, Ollie, a student at St. George School, participated in the parasports heats for the 50-metre dash. Ollie’s classmate and friend, Zachary, offered to be his sighted guide for the run and helped him complete the race, enabling Ollie to achieve his goal!
It’s heartwarming to see young students making a thoughtful and sincere effort to help others in need during the season of Lent. With their fundraising and donation efforts, they made a positive impact locally and internationally. At St. Cecilia School, the students raised an incredible $9,317 through their Special Movie Experience and other activities to purchase bicycles for people in developing countries. The Grade 3 students at St. Kateri Tekakwitha School made a difference by raising over $3,000 for the Kateri Native Mission through a fundraiser they organized. And let’s not forget the Change For Change Lenten Project, led by kindergarten students at St. Leonard School, which raised over $200 to support a school in Guatemala. Keep up the great work, Ottawa Catholic School Board!
#ocsbKindness Week took place from February 13 – 17, 2023, and it presented an excellent opportunity to spread kindness with daily challenges:
- Monday – Do Something Nice
- Tuesday – Say Something Nice
- Wednesday – Thank Someone
- Thursday – Reach Out To Someone
- Friday – Be Well
OCSB students from Kindergarten to Grade 12 participated in #ocsbKindness Week through school activities, song, dance, art, baking, games, journaling, writing letters, and reading books about kindness. Many of our students spread love, compassion and joy to members of our community by sending cards and letters to local retirement residences. Other highlights of #ocsbKindness Week were when students at St. Paul High School decorated their staircase with a paper chain containing messages of kindness, and students at St. Anne School challenged themselves to write down their name every time they saw an act of kindness in the school; they had filled out 100 names before 100 days, accomplishing their kindness mission!
OCSB staff and students also participated in Pink Shirt Day, which symbolizes the importance of fostering a community where everyone feels safe, valued and respected. We wear pink to lift each other with kindness, empathy and understanding to stand together against bullying. Students reflected on the meaning of this day through various activities and projects and showed their support by wearing pink.
These heart-warming moments of kindness and joy happening in our OCSB communities are captured in our weekly #ocsbFridayFeeling blog and social media posts. What better way to end the school week than with a smile?