Students in Mrs. Jackie Clark’s Union Springs class are proving that small acts of kindness can make a big impact.

As part of a project-based learning unit connected to the novel The Unteachables, Clark’s ninth grade students explored what it means to create a more inclusive school environment. In the story, students in a self-contained classroom are labeled as misfits and often excluded from activities like Spirit Week, something Clark said resonated with her own students’ experiences.

“They just want to feel included, treated fairly and seen like everyone else,” Clark said.

The four students leading the project have been in Clark’s program since sixth grade. Over the years, they’ve shared that general education settings like lunch, physical education and classes can feel intimidating. Many expressed fear of reading aloud, asking questions or participating because they worried about being laughed at or judged.

Through a journal prompt asking, “How can we, as student advocates, challenge negative labels and promote a more inclusive environment within our own school community?” students found their answer: a schoolwide Kindness Campaign.

The group designed kindness buttons for staff using Canva and created them with a manual button maker. They also partnered with their ninth-grade general education peers to build a kindness chain. Students across the grade level completed random acts of kindness and wrote them down on paper strips, which are now linked together and displayed in the Union Springs Special Education hallway as a visual reminder of compassion and inclusion.

Marialias Brown said inclusion means “to include everyone around you regardless of differences like disabilities or background.”

“I hope students or staff think the kindness chain is cool and kind,” Brown said. “It felt great to work with other ninth graders. I am most proud of them helping us out. Thank you for your kindness.”

Gage Lonsky said he hopes “students and staff smile when they see the chain.”

“It was awesome to work with other ninth graders on the project,” Lonsky said.

For Connor Mosher, the message is simple. “Inclusion is giving someone the chance to be a part of something,” he said. “I hope students will make the choice to be kind when they see the chain every day.”

Clark said the project is about more than a display.

“I want them to learn they have a voice and they can make a difference,” she said. “It is never OK for someone to be mean or unkind. My students should feel safe and included in school. Diversity should be seen as a strength.”

She added that she has already seen growth. “My students feel a sense of pride. They are learning they have a voice and can make a change. I believe they feel more accepted.”

Through their advocacy, these students are not only building a chain of kindness, but a stronger, more welcoming school community.