Building kindness in kids

Torus Tammer

Rabbi Moishe Engel has promised the students of the Hebrew Academy in

Huntington Beach that on June 5, he will appear before them in a way they

could never have imagined. No, this is not a celestial proclamation, and

it isn’t a promise of an apparition.

Engel is giving students incentive to accomplish the academy’s goal of

collecting 1,000 paper bricks for their Wall of Kindness.

“Who knows... I may show up on an elephant or maybe in a limousine...

it’s a surprise,” Engel said.

This “kindness drive” has also led the school to organize a Walk for

Kindness and Friendship on Sunday. The walk is a seven-mile event that

begins at 7.30 a.m. at Huntington Beach City Hall and ends at the

academy’s campus.

The idea for the drive started as a one-week project in which students

were rewarded with one paper brick per week for performing one or more

acts of kindness.

The academy didn’t expect much to come of the efforts after the initial

week. The aim was to build a wall constructed of 400 bricks. Flooded with

feedback from parents, the school decided to extend the program and up

the ante, setting the new goal of 1,000 bricks -- 700 of which they now

have. The new deadline has been set for early June.

The parameters are open -- it doesn’t matter if the act is performed at

home or at school. As long as a teacher or parent witnesses it, the act

is valid.

Claudia Brilliant, a mother of an 11th-grade student, is pleased to see

all of the positive attention paid to the gentler, kinder treatment of

others.

“As a mother, I am utterly thrilled that children are being encouraged

and acknowledged for doing good, positive things,” Brilliant said. “You

would be amazed how happy and favorable people are if you are nice or

complimentary.... It’s a good habit for everyone to learn.”

Tracy Stoutenborough, an academy preschool teacher, hopes the kindness

walk will not only reach everyone at the school, but the community too.

She wants all of the children to be affected by seeing their parents and

other adults participate to encourage less prejudice.

“I am a Christian that teaches at a Jewish school, and I’m living proof

that people of different religions can get along,” Stoutenborough said.

“You learn a lot from teaching preschoolers. They’re oblivious to bad and

don’t care about color or religion.... They’re just friends.”

Leading the way for the walk will be Engel, who emphasizes that this is a

universal event open to everyone.

Engel and his team have worked hard to open this event up and make it

accessible to the community. Corporate sponsors have donated money, which

has made it possible for T-shirts to be purchased for walk participants.

“It is very important that we deliver the message that kindness is

universal... and so is the event,” Engel said. “I want to challenge

everybody in the community. From atheist to Buddhist, it doesn’t matter

what you are, you should attend this event and join us in this stand for

kindness.”