If you have an elementary student at home or living next door, ask them about school last week. If they give you the usual “Nothing,” ask them again, and be more specific this time. Ask them about “Start With Hello” week. Ask them if they met anyone new or found out something interesting about a friend?” They might have an entirely different answer and be excited to tell you all about “Start With Hello Call to Action Week.”
The Eagle Grove Elementary students participated in the “Start With Hello” week for the second year in a row. The program is part in the nation-wide Sandy Hook Promise which encourages students to take “small but powerful actions to promote connectedness and inclusion, and to identify and help lonely students who are showing signs of social isolation.” Eagle Grove Elementary Guidance Counselor Carrie Niehaus was excited to bring it back to the young students in her building in a fun and conversation-provoking way that included social distancing due to COVID-19.
Last year, Niehaus asked community members to come in one morning and greet the kids as they walked into school. Since she could not do that this year, she instead encouraged the entire community to make videos and post them to their line at link: https://flipgrid.com/e8359efa.” The kids then viewed them in school. If you didn’t make a video, don’t worry, you can still do so. It’s never too late to spread a “Hello” to people in our community…especially kids.
Last year, during lunchtime, whereas students are usually seated together by grade, Niehaus mixed the students up. This gave them the opportunity to sit by someone new. To encourage conversation, Niehaus placed conversation starter cards on the table. This year, however, again due to COVID, Niehaus found a way to still do the activity, but still keep the kids safe. She just kept them in their usual lunch pods. Yes, they may already have known each other becasue of this, but they learned more about them than they knew the day before. The kids had a lot of fun getting to know each othe. There was a lot of laughter, a lot of smiles, and even some deeper friendships being formed from these questions and answers taking place.
Some of those questions were very easy – What’s your favorite subject in school; If you could have any pet, what would it be and why? Some got very creative with that and said things like a tiger or a monkey. I mean really – who wouldn’t think a monkey’s fun to have as a pet?! Other questions were more difficult, like “If you could change your name, what would it be?”
Niehaus is hoping to continue the “Start With Hello” tradition in the coming years at Eagle Grove Elementary School. Hopefully next year, the worries of COVID will be gone and the activities can once again be a little more interactive – more high fives in the hallways, more hugs, more mixing kids up and getting them to know new people.
Kids are amazing. They have so much to offer if they only get the chance. While some students are very comfortable making conversation and making new friends, others are more shy or have less confidence. The same is true with adults. The truth of the matter is, all anyone wants is to be included; to feel like they matter; to feel like they have friends. “Start With Hello” was held for the elementary kids, but it’s a great reminder for all of us. If you see someone alone, invite them to sit with you. Maybe they’re new to the school/community and all they need is for someone to reach out to them. Happier people equal a happier world, and that’s something we all benefit from.
