Written by Doris Guo (Class of 2027) and Zoe Hui (Class of 2026)
Photos by Evelyn Liao (Class of 2025) and Erica Lai (Class of 2024)

On the week of January 22, IGDVS students participated in a meaningful activity called “The Great Kindness Challenge”. This world-wide challenge campaigns for kindness and supports healthy social-emotional environments. To participate in this activity, students wrote kind notes and kindness journals for a week’s events.

Kindness, as one of the eight core virtues, has always affected the school life in IGDVS greatly. By participating in this activity, the students gained a thorough understanding of the importance of the virtue of kindness.

An exhibition board was cleared for the students to post their daily acts of kindness. At the end of the week, heartwarming notes from many students flooded the whole exhibition board. In their notes, they talked about the fun they had with their classmates, kindness acts they learned to do, and small differences they made in their school life. These acts of kindness included learning to speak “hello” in another language, cleaning the classrooms, and lending a hand to someone in need. By sticking these notes on the board, the students are able to see how even the smallest acts of kindness can make a positive difference on the community around them.

”Raising your head doesn’t mean that you are arrogant, but to have a full observation of your sky; lowering your head doesn’t mean that you are giving up, but to have a full observation of your plan.” – By Miranda Wang

Great Kindness Challenge Week: January 22–26, 2024 – Letters (CA Dept of Education)