Orange and pinwheels make for a ‘Kind’ day at O’Loughlin Elementary

pinwheel pic — O’Loughlin students and staff get ready for their “Pinwheels for Peace” photo Wednesday afternoon.

By BECKY KISER
Hays Post

O’Loughlin Elementary School was awash in orange Wednesday.

The students and staff weren’t celebrating an early Halloween — they were celebrating “Kansas Kindness Day” by wearing orange in support of October’s National Bullying Prevention Month.

“We wanted to flip (the theme),” said Principal Nancy Harman, “and concentrate on the ‘being kind’ aspect.”

The students also made “Pinwheels for Peace” — brightly decorated paper wheels attached to pencils. They had planned to “plant” the 400 or so pinwheels in the school’s front lawn following an afternoon school assembly, but light rain and wind forced the postponement until Thursday, just in time for parent-teacher conferences.

Special guests at the all-school assembly included Fort Hays State University baseball players, along with mascot Victor E. Tiger. The players talked about the importance of teamwork and helping each other out, especially when someone makes an error.

Pitcher Giles Fox, a junior from Ashland, asked the students to think about making a mistake — “Let’s say you messed up. What do you want your friends to do when you make a mistake? Do you want them to blame you?”

“NO!” the crowd answered loudly as Victor E. Tiger shook his head.

“Me neither,” Fox agreed. “Do you want them to support you, to say ‘You’ll get it next time’?” Fox asked.

“YES!” said the students with enthusiasm as Victor nodded his head vigorously.

“Right,” agreed Fox again. “That’s what we do on the (FHSU) baseball team.

“We all want support. That’s what being a good teammate is all about about … picking someone up when they make a mistake, telling them they’ll get it next time, and saying ‘I’m going to do all I can to make sure it doesn’t happen again.’ ”

pinwheels dean katt — USD 489 Superintendent Dean Katt issues a “kindness” challenge.

USD 489 Superintendent Dean Katt challenged the assembled group to “perform two random acts of kindness each day, from here on out. Soon, it will become a lifelong habit.” He also urged everyone to “keep a smile on your face.”

“We are so fortunate to have these people join us,” Harman said. “They really support our students.”

The assembly kicked off with an a Capella version of Pharrell Williams’ hit song “Happy” sung by an all-male quintet from the FHSU singers along with Choral Director Dr. Terry Crull.

Six classes were made even happier as they accepted awards of fresh oranges and orange juice boxes for 100 percent classroom participation in the Pinwheels for Peace project.

In a videotaped message, Hays mayor Henry Schwaller, who attended Wilson Elementary School, read his official Decree of Kindness Day in Hays.

pinwheels henry with principal holding proclamation — Hays Mayor Henry Schwaller reads his “Kansas Kindness Day” proclamation in a videotaped message. O’Loughlin Elementary School principal Nancy Harman, right, shows the decree to students.

Schwaller told the O’Loughlin students that “people who are different from us make our lives better. They give us new experiences, new thoughts, new ideas. It’s important to be kind to everyone and treat them with respect.”

Finally, the group posed for a picture, dressed in their orange and holding their pinwheels high. The photo will be displayed in O’Loughlin along with the mayoral proclamation.

The Pinwheels for Peace Project was created in 2005 by two art teachers in Florida. Their goal was to give their students a chance to express their feelings through a visual representation.