Do you remember the face of the last person who held the door for you?

Friends, staff members, and familiar strangers surround us. Even in such a large school, it is important to respect and appreciate small acts.

These are the thoughts of members of the Guidance Department. Mrs. Zuk decided to start a program that would recognize well rounded individuals at Eastern who carry on these good works throughout the day. “What we are really looking for in is program is to celebrate the genuine and uncomplicated matter of simply being a good person” she said.

“I find it important to say hello to even strangers,” said Ms. Lattimer, another guidance counselor who is an avid supporter of this initiative.

At her former school in Vineland, Lattimer remembers how some kids would not be greeted in the morning. She knows how special a simple gesture of kindness can be to set the tone of a school day.

There is a bulletin board across from the Guidance Department that explains the project in full detail. Simply submit a person you would like to acknowledge through the guidance department website. Go to the school webpage and then the school tab, then scroll to guidance and under kindness project. This caring individual could potentially get recognized and awarded a water bottle.

This kindness is catching on. There is a website, the Great Kindness Challenge, in which promotes a week of kindness in school. Harvard University is also starting their own kindness outreach.

“Kindness is not just for a week though. It is all year. It is not about who is the most athletic, smartest, or popular,” Ms. Lattimer said. “It is about being a good person.”