In mid September, after the newness of the school year had settled in, all of the students and staff members came together for a special project. Students in grade K-8 worked collaboratively to create unique designs on specially chosen rocks.

Earlier in the school year all teachers had read the book, Only One You by Linda Kranz to their classes and had grade level appropriate discussions. A few of the important, take-away messages included;

Always be on the lookout for a new friend.

Look for beauty wherever you are and keep the memory of it with you.

Blend in when you need to. Stand out when you have the chance.

Find your own way. You don’t have to follow the crowd.

Know when to speak. Know when to listen.

If you make a wrong turn, circle back.

If something gets in your way, move around it.

Set aside some quiet time to relax and reflect every day.

Appreciate art. It’s all around you.

Make wishes on the stars in the nighttime sky.

But most importantly we wanted our students to know that there’s only one you in this great big world so every day make the world a better place! We encouraged students to appreciate their uniqueness and use it to make a positive difference.

The messages from this book and our group activity are simple, but so important, and can be applied K-8 and beyond. We want students to understand that being unique is special. After our K-8 rock paint-a-thon each student had a rock they designed in their own unique and special way. We enjoyed listening to the encouragement, praise and positive interactions between the younger and older students as they perfected their rock designs. The rocks are now on display in the lobby but will soon have a permanent home in the courtyard area with advice and help from Jon Champagne.