Yacolt students bring river of positivity to new courtyard

Yacolt — Yacolt Primary School’s revitalized courtyard includes a brightly colored river of rocks. As part of a schoolwide kindness and positivity initiative, each student painted a rock with an uplifting message. “As a school counselor, one of my biggest goals is to help create a culture of kindness,” Nathan Simons, Yacolt’s school counselor, said in a release from the district. “Research shows that creating a positive school culture reduces bullying, aggression and disruptive classroom behaviors, and we’re already seeing results.” Since the kindness initiative was launched earlier this year, Yacolt Primary has seen an average of two fewer behavior referrals per school day compared with last year, according to the same release. As part of the project, 33 fourth-graders were selected to be school leaders. They spent time during their lunch period painting a base coat on all the rocks so students’ messages would stand out. They also created “100 Acts of Kindness” posters to hang in each classroom, allowing teachers to fill them out with acts of kindness their students have done for others.