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Abraham Lincoln Elementary students are learning that one kind word can change someone’s entire day, and that “someone” is likely going to be them thanks to many kind words splashed around their campus. Abraham Lincoln staff members Dyann Sowers, Kelly Dempsey and Laurie Staff spent two days during their summer vacation painting “Be Kind,” “You Matter” and “Kindness Changes Everything” across the top of all the mirrors in all the bathrooms. This was in addition to a giant blue square they painted in a hallway near the main bathroom with the words “One Kind Word” written across a large red heart that continues the thought with “can change someone’s entire day.” With three sets each of boys and girls bathrooms and three mirrors in each, there are 18 mirrors to remind all 552 students, grades kindergarten through sixth grade, to be kind to one another, themselves and their campus. “Be Calm, Be Kind” and “Aspire to Inspire” are two phrases that returning students have grown accustomed to hearing the last three years. The painting project was a way “to hammer down” the emphasis on kindness, Sowers said. The other motivation was implementing a creative “outside-the-box” solution to vandalism and behavior issues, said Dempsey, a former Abraham Lincoln third-grade teacher who now serves as a teacher on special assignment for the Medford School District. Her emphasis is on student success and creating a culture where students thrive. The Abraham Lincoln project is unique, she said, but, hopefully, it’s one that other schools in the district adopt. Sowers has spent the past two decades working at the school — first as a parent volunteer and since 2001 as a member of the education support staff. In the past, she used a dry erase marker to write messages on the mirrors. Sometimes, the messages were words of affirmation, and sometimes reminders to respect their campus and one another. “I love this building. I love this school. This is my home,” she said. “I want the students to feel the same.” Sowers said that Dempsey, who she calls “the kindest person in the universe,” saw a similar project on Facebook last year. After receiving overwhelming support from Principal Megan Young, “we went for it,” she said. In the first four weeks of school, all the hard work seems to be paying off — “so far, so good,” the staff reports. And the students, they said, seem to be excited about the fun phrases and bright colors. Abraham Lincoln Elementary’s “Kindness” campaign started three years ago with a “Kindness” tree. Every time a student “caught” another student committing an act of kindness, a leaf was added to the tree, in effect,growing the tree with kindness. Each year, on her birthday, Dempsey encouraged her third-graders to do as many acts of kindness as the age she was turning. “They had to be intentional, not random acts,” she said. “We’ve worked for several years embedding kindness into our school culture,” said Young. “We’ve had positive feedback from parents. They’re happy to see that working on kindness is so prevalent in our school.” About the staff’s initiative, she added, “it attests to the mindset that it’s more than a job (here), it’s about changing young lives.” Reach Grants Pass freelance writer Tammy Asnicar at [email protected].