Burney Elementary receives “Kindness Certified School” recognition as students help create a kinder world
BURNEY, Calif., — Burney Elementary School administrators were excited to share with SCNS today that the school was recently designated as a “Kindness Certified School” by the international non-profit Kids for Peace.
“With everything going on in the world today, we can all really use some extra joy in our lives right now,” BES Principal Tara Aderman told SCNS. The recent honor was in recognition of her students doing their part “to uplift their community with kindness, compassion, unity and respect.”
The school’s ongoing commitment to kindness is part of the campus’s participation in the 11th annual Great Kindness Challenge, according to Aderman, who said Burney parents, teachers, and other school staff could not be more proud of their “Junior Raiders”.
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Kids for Peace is a global nonprofit that hosts The Great Kindness Challenge, a positive and uplifting program that fosters connection, inclusion, appreciation and overall well-being, according to Aderman. The annual program has multiplied in enrollment each year, having grown to over 18 million students in 36,000 schools, reaching across all 50 states and 115 countries.
Burney Elementary Junior Raiders were excited this week to learn their ongoing effort to uplift their community “with kindness, compassion, unity and respect” resulted in their campus being designated as a “Kindness Certified School” by the global non-profit Kids for Peace.
During this year’s Kindness Challenge, Burney Elementary students demonstrated their commitment to kindness by completing 50 acts of kindness from The Great Kindness Challenge checklist. Students were also encouraged to write uplifting messages to students, staff and volunteers. Those “love notes” were then posted on the school’s “Kindness is Cool” bulletin board.
“Our hearts are bursting with joy knowing that so many students are actively creating a brighter, happier and more positive world for all,” Jill McManigal, co-founder and executive director of Kids for Peace said of the special recognition for Burney students; adding that she was thrilled to recognize the school’s commitment to kindness.
“Even during the pandemic, students are finding creative ways to spread love, honor classmates, show gratitude and offer a helping hand,” she continued. “We are thankful to Burney Elementary for providing this opportunity for their students to practice kindness and we are grateful to their students for demonstrating that kindness matters!”
Aderman and all Burney Elementary students and teachers are now encouraging the community to keep the kindness going “by lifting each other up, helping each other out and cheering each other on. Kindness has the power to heal and unite us all!”
About The Great Kindness Challenge
The Great Kindness Challenge is a positive and uplifting program that creates a culture of kindness in schools, communities and the world. Using a kindness checklist, schools and families are challenged to complete as many acts of kindness as possible. The School Edition is an annual one-week celebration during the last week of January. The Family Edition is year-round. Schools and families may get involved by signing up at no cost: http://greatkindnesschallenge.org. The Great Kindness Challenge is made possible by the generosity of our sponsors: ViaSat, Nordson and McGraw-Hill Education.
About Kids for Peace
Kids for Peace is a California-based global nonprofit that provides a platform for youth to actively engage in socially-conscious leadership, community service, arts, environmental stewardship and global friendships. Founded in 2006 by a mother and a high school honors student, Kids for Peace now engages over 18 million youth through their three programs: The Great Kindness Challenge, The Peace Pledge Program and Kind, Creative & Connected in the Age of COVID19.
For more information about Kids for Peace or The Great Kindness Challenge, please contact Jill McManigal at (760) 730-3320.
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Trevor Montgomery, 50, moved in 2017 to the Intermountain area of Shasta County from Riverside County and runs Riverside County News Source (RCNS) and Shasta County News Source (SCNS).
Additionally, he writes or has written for several other news organizations; including Riverside County based newspapers Valley News, Valley Chronicle, Anza Valley Outlook, and Hemet & San Jacinto Chronicle; the Bonsall/Fallbrook Village News in San Diego County; and Mountain Echo in Shasta County. He is also a regular contributor to Thin Blue Line TV and Law Enforcement News Network and has had his stories featured on news stations throughout the Southern California and North State regions.
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 30 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 18 grandchildren.