By Michael Gresham
The Texas Catholic
St. Patrick Catholic School devoted an entire day to service and compassion during its first-ever Day of Kindness on Nov. 20, giving students the opportunity to live out the school’s mission in a tangible way.
Principal Rebecca Rosa said the idea came from a desire to help students recognize their own ability to lead through service.
“They have such good hearts, but they don’t always realize how powerful they already are,” Rosa said. “I wanted all of my students to see that leadership isn’t something you wait for when you’re older; it’s something you practice right now by choosing to serve others.”
The school partnered with organizations including Meals on Wheels, CC Young, Vogel Alcove, and the Society of St. Vincent de Paul to give students hands-on experiences in serving others.
“Our mission calls us to form children who know they are loved by God and who understand their responsibility to love others,” Rosa said. “The Day of Kindness is simply that mission in motion.”
Transforming hearts
Madeline Owens, who teaches religion at St. Patrick Catholic School and served as the Day of Kindness coordinator, said the event flowed directly from the school’s mission: “We are called to embrace the Gospel and transform the hearts and minds of our St. Patrick community.”
“Students, parents, faculty, and staff participated in various service projects that served more than 2,000 individuals in the DFW area and beyond,” Owens said. “Students saw firsthand how their kind, Christ-like acts of service impacted others.”
Owens said the day began with a surprise for the Refugee Outreach Program at St. Patrick Catholic Church.
“We collected toilet paper, diapers, and laundry detergent throughout the month of November,” she said. “When we revealed the 200 items we collected, the room was radiating with excitement and joy.”
Students also rotated through service stations, creating cards for veterans, coloring cheerful pictures for Color a Smile, and painting “kindness rocks” to place around the school and parish grounds. They also built a “kindness tree” near the school office as a daily reminder of the event.
Each grade level completed its own project, including making fleece blankets for the homeless, hosting a bake sale to support the Servants of the Lord and the Virgin of Matará sisters, and donating party supplies for foster children. Older students extended their service off campus, as fifth graders performed a talent show at CC Young Senior Living, a senior living retirement community; sixth graders interviewed residents at Presbyterian Village North, a senior living and rehabilitation center; seventh graders joined a Thanksgiving event at Vogel Alcove, an organization dedicated to caring for homeless preschool children; and eighth graders assisted staff at John Paul II High School in Plano.
“I can’t think of a better way to live out the Catholic faith than to put love into action,” Cyrisse McConnell, a parent volunteer, said. “Jesus’ example of love and charity is reflected in the service that each student put forth on the special day.”
Her children, Lourdes and Magnus, played an instrumental role in planning the event as founding members of the school’s Kindness Club, which meets twice a month.
“The mission is simple: Help change the world with kindness,” McConnell said. “They created a life-size poster that says, ‘Be the “I” in Kind,’ gathered all the donated supplies for the refugee outreach program, and helped design the service stations.”
Lessons in service
Magnus, a sixth grader who filmed a documentary of the day’s events, said the Day of Kindness was both meaningful and “really cool.”
“We got to write some notes to soldiers and make placemats,” he said, “and I thought that was fun, especially knowing that my letter could go to a soldier anywhere in the world.”
He said the experience offered him a new perspective.
“We got to help others that are less fortunate,” Magnus said. “We went on a field trip to interview older people, and we got to know them by asking them questions about their personal life. It was like we were becoming friends … The whole day was all about giving to others.”
For Magnus, one moment particularly stood out.
“One of the most impressive things for me was seeing all the items we collected for the Refugee Outreach Program,” he said. “Knowing there are so many people who need things like laundry detergent and toilet paper reminds me how lucky I am.”
Lourdes, a seventh grader, said her experience at Vogel Alcove exceeded expectations.
“When we got there, we started setting up for the crafts and games,” she said. “It started off pretty normal, and then more and more kids came in, and it became more exciting, and it exceeded my expectations. My highlight was being able to carry a seven-month-old baby and care for her during our time there.”
She said realizing the scale of the students’ impact during their Day of Kindness amazed her.
“Hearing that our school participated in over 2,000 acts of kindness was mind-blowing,” Lourdes said. “In just one day, 2,000 people will have their lives touched because our school had a Day of Kindness, and that doesn’t even count all of us at St. Patrick who are impacted by what we got to participate in throughout the day.”
For the St. Patrick seventh grader, the takeaway was simple but profound.
“It’s always nice to receive a gift, but it’s even better when you’re giving the gift,” Lourdes said, “and it’s especially nice when you get to see their reaction or the impact your act has on others.”
Owens said that the school’s goal for the Day of Kindness ultimately goes beyond a single day.
“Our hope is that our first Day of Kindness inspired our students to live out our school’s mission beyond the school grounds,” Owens said.
Rosa said that the response from the school community was overwhelmingly positive, with students “energized and deeply engaged.”
“You could see the pride on their faces as they realized the difference they were making,” the principal said. “Parents also reached out with messages of gratitude, sharing how meaningful it was to hear their children come home talking about service with such excitement.”
“It truly felt like our whole community came together around something bigger than ourselves,” Rosa added, “and that unity was one of the greatest gifts of the day.”
Cutline for featured image: As part of St. Patrick Catholic School’s inaugural Day of Kindness on Nov. 20, kindergarteners, from left, Eve Plugge, Jordan Nguyen, and Arabella Quijada painted rocks that will be displayed in the school’s courtyard. (MICHAEL GRESHAM/The Texas Catholic)
