Cawston Elementary students shine during National Kindness Week

HEMET — Children, parents, teachers, and administrators from Cawston Elementary School in Hemet spent National Kindness Week proving that “spreading kindness must be contagious” according to Hemet Unified School District spokeswoman Alexandrea Sponheim.

“The wonderful students at Cawston Elementary have done an amazing job of spreading kindness on their campus,” Sponheim told RCNS at the end of the week, which featured several special events and projects that highlighted the importance of showing kindness to all.

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Saying the mental health and well-being of her students is very important and very “near and dear” to her heart, Cawston’s principal and former counselor, Mrs. Romeril, later said her teachers, administrators, and students “value the culture and climate of the campus, who are all encouraged to feel connected to their school and discourage bullying.”

“What better way to feel connected to your peers and campus than to be kind to each other!” Sponheim said at the conclusion of National Kindness Week. HUSD photo

On the first day of National Kindness Week, the staff created a tunnel and welcomed students and their families onto campus. Staff members were seen receiving hugs and high fives, and the crowd was full of smiles, according to Sponheim.

As the week continued, students filled out papers highlighting their various acts of kindness and staff later collected the papers to make flowers.

“There were a breathtaking 5,667 acts of kindness in one week,” beamed Sponheim.

On Friday of kindness week, which was held on Cawston’s Friday Flag assembly, students, parents, and staff in attendance were asked to wear yellow, according to Sponheim; who said, “Let’s just say that the crowd was glowing, and the atmosphere was brimming with positive energy.”

Mrs. Romeril later said she hoped that “students and their families see Cawston as a safe place and will continue to spread kindness.”

“Overall, the activities honoring National Kindness Week were a huge success and the students at Cawston Elementary set the example of what it means to be kind,” said Sponheim.

Madison Di Palermo contributed to this article.


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Trevor Montgomery, 48, moved in 2017 to the Intermountain area of Shasta County from Riverside County and runs Riverside County News Source and Shasta County News Source. Additionally, he writes or has written for several other news organizations; including Riverside County based newspapers, Valley News, (the now defunct) Valley Chronicle, Anza Valley Outlook, and Hemet & San Jacinto Chronicle; as well as Bonsall/Fallbrook Village News in San Diego County and Mountain Echo in Shasta County.

Trevor spent 10 years in the U.S. Army as an Orthopedic Specialist before joining the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department in 1998. He was medically retired after losing his leg, breaking his back, and suffering both spinal cord and brain injuries in an off-duty accident. (Click here to see segment of Discovery Channel documentary of Trevor’s accident.)

During his time with the sheriff’s department, Trevor worked at several different stations; including Robert Presley Detention Center, Southwest Station in Temecula, Hemet/Valle Vista Station, Ben Clark Public Safety Training Center, and Lake Elsinore Station; along with other locations.

Trevor’s assignments included Corrections, Patrol, DUI Enforcement, Boat and Personal Water-Craft based Lake Patrol, Off-Road Vehicle Enforcement, Problem Oriented Policing Team, and Personnel/Background Investigations. He finished his career while working as a Sex Crimes and Child Abuse Investigator and was a court-designated expert in child abuse and child sex-related crimes.

Trevor has been married for more than 29 years and was a foster parent to more than 60 children over 13 years. He is now an adoptive parent and his “fluid family” includes 13 children and 16 grandchildren.