This month, Boothbay Region Elementary School will be concentrating on and celebrating the themes of kindness, respect and uniqueness. December, which is dedicated to engulfing the peninsula in festively bright lights, sets the tone for this new movement in the school dubbed “Be the Light.”

“In a time and season when the Boothbay Region is celebrating what is unique and special about our community with amazing artistic displays of light, our school and each beautiful child is the greatest example of what is special about where we live. Our students, families, staff, and faculty shine and illuminate our community throughout the year,” said Assistant Principal Tricia Campbell.

All this month, teachers and staff catching a student in an act of kindness and respect will issue a “BRES Spirit Card.” Students will bring their Spirit Cards to the office and the BRES Climate and Culture Committee will add a candle to hallways signifying those students’ luminosity. Every grade and classroom will have events and activities planned throughout the campaign and on Wednesday, Dec. 20 BRES will convene as a school to navigate the individual and collective actions and what it means to be kind and respectful. Later in the month, BRES will host a guest performer geared toward the students’ achievements through the “Be the Light” campaign.

Said Principal Mark Tess, “It’s about respect and showing recognition for acts of goodness and kindness, an attempt to be more communicative with community, staff and kids. … The idea behind it is to really just recognize students for the goodness that they do. Some of the times things in schools are punitive, but this is an idea to really just catch kids doing things the right way – being kind to another person, being polite.”

December marks a special time for the office staff because they get to see every individual achievement and they get to cheer every student on for their kindness. Secretary Teresa Tess mentioned how wonderful it is to see students come into the office to present their Spirit Card for making a kind outward gesture “without having to be asked to do it.”

“The kids love it,” said Christina Barter, assistant to the special education director “The smiles on their faces – they’re so proud. When we explain it to them that each candle is an act of kindness they’re just so proud of themselves.”