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Two teen girls looking at each other talking and smiling, one with a happily surprised expression.

Compliment Activity: Create a Caring Campus Community from Day One

Inflexion February 15, 2023
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We need to make sure our kids know that we care about them and that students care about each other.

– Courtney Spelber

INTRO

This activity was shared by the former principal of Oceanview High School, Courtney Spelber (Huntington Beach Union High School District), in a Crowdsource Webinar on January 19, 2023.

Before students can learn, they need to know they belong and are cared for. A school community that cares about each other, learns together. Not only does this activity foster a sense of caring inclusivity, but it lets staff and students get to know each other on deeper levels. This activity is perfect for the beginning of each school year, and then throughout the year when classes change, when everyone returns from a break, etc. to regroup and recommit to being a caring campus.

OBJECTIVES

  • Staff/students become familiar with school maxims/identity and their place/role within it
  • Staff/students develop positive bonds with each other and their school community

RESOURCES

ACTIVITY

  • Create a list of 5-10 “getting to know you” questions/prompts related to your school’s maxims (if you haven’t developed maxims yet, think about your school’s identity, culture, vision, mission, character, values, goals, etc.)
  • Share the list with all staff/teachers
    • Better yet, do this in a staff meeting and have staff members participate in this activity before introducing it to students
  • Teachers share the list with students
  • Students use the prompts to get to know a partner (or partners) in each of their classes
  • Each partner writes a specific compliment about their partner on a sticky note – leaving the compliment anonymous on the note
  • Partners share their compliments with each other
  • All students post their sticky notes in a visible place in the classroom – i.e. the outside of the classroom door – so that everyone can see them as they pass/enter the classroom

TIPS

  • Little Things, such as the above activity, are smaller efforts you can do tomorrow, or within the next week.
Categories: Instructional Practices, Student Activities
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