While simple acts of kindness may go lost between the daily stress of schoolwork, Kindness Week, an annual, week-long event organized by ASB Recognition, aims to promote kindness through various activities. This year, Kindness Week was from Nov. 13 through 17.

In the days before Kindness Week, posters were put up on bulletin boards and brick walls around campus to promote the events that were planned. Additionally, Legislative Council representatives raised awareness of the activities through announcements to their classes.

Each day of Kindness Week had a new theme. Monday celebrated self love. Fortune cookies with messages promoting self love were passed out to students, and the ASB class promoted self-love through profile pictures that detailed one thing they love about themselves.

Throughout the week, there was a social media challenge corresponding to each theme of the week. For Monday’s theme, the social media challenge question was “What do you love about yourself?”

“My optimism,” said sophomore Anna Shaposhnik when responding to the social media challenge for day one. “ I love being happy and making others happy too. I learned a quote once that said ‘Attitudes are contagious, is your’s worth catching?” and I think I live by it to this day.”

“When most people think of kindness, they think about selfless acts to others,” said senior Yuehho Lin, the ASB Recognition Commissioner in charge of organizing this event. “When planning for this year’s Kindness Week, I found out that the root of compassionate acts is being kind to yourself first. I hope that through this event, not only you are more kind to yourself, but also are inspired to be more compassionate to the people around you.”

Tuesday’s theme focused on class love. The social media challenge for this day asked “What do you love about your class?”

“I like how dedicated we are to Lynbrook even though we’ve just gotten here,” said freshman Dylan Smith. “For example, a bunch of people I know have already signed up for sports in the first couple of weeks.”

Posters were hung on Tuesday on the bulletin boards around the science wing; each display prompted students to write supportive notes to each class; the notes will be handed back to class officers by Nov. 23.

Hug and High Five ambassadors were commissioned to give free hugs and high fives around the school on Tuesday as well. Junior Jessabelle Ramos, a hug ambassador, showed her spirit and made a sign promoting free hugs.

Wednesday’s theme recognized club love. Posters hung on and around the Science Wing asked students to write kind messages to different clubs, and the notes will be passed back to club officers. Throughout the week, ASB students surprised selected clubs during their meetings, handing out candy to all officers and club members present.

Chemistry teacher Jon Penner writes a friendly message to a club.

On Wednesday, JUMP Dance Club performed an energetic routine to “Mi Gente” in the quad at lunch to celebrate club love.

Sophomore Zainab Nasir, an ASB Recognition commissioner, organizes and prepares kindness grams to be distributed on Friday, Nov. 17.

“I like that kindness week is just a week dedicated to spreading kindness,” said Nasir. “Usually we forget to appreciate others in our lynbrook community, but in preparation for kindness week, we sit down as a commission and come up with creative ways to recognize all groups on campus, such as clubs and sports. It’s a really fun way we can ensure to recognize each group on campus.”

On Thursday, the focus of kindness week was on Sports Love. Due to the rain, however, the scheduled dodgeball tournament, organized in collaboration with Athletics Unlimited, and announcing of athletes of the season were postponed to Friday.

Friday commemorated community love. Kindness grams, which students could sign up to send in the week prior, were sent to students’ third periods.

As a surprise for students, ASB planned a flash mob in the quad at lunch.

ASB Recognition Commissioner senior Leia Chao is pictured above writing recipients’ names on kindness grams and organizing them by third period teacher.

“I think [the most meaningful part about planning Kindness Week is] seeing how people react to the things that are being done for them or are being given to them,” said Chao. “Like, when they receive [kindness] grams and when they receive messages written to them from their club members or things like that. It really shows people how much people care about them and I think that’s the most important part and why we as ASB Recognition do these events.”

“From countless hours of planning and preparing for Kindness Week, I hoped everyone can realize that anyone can perform acts of kindness and love can always be spread in our Lynbrook community,” said Lin.

Though Kindness Week has come to an end, the everlasting effect of acts of kindness performed throughout the week have helped to make Lynbrook a brighter, more positive environment.

Photos by Nicole Ong and Sadhana Sarma