Start with Hello!

Crestwood Middle School, in Royal Palm Beach, participated this week in the Start with Hello initiative to promote awareness about social isolation and create an inclusive environment for all students!

Students held up welcoming signs each morning in different languages to greet others as the students were arriving to campus. It was a entire school event where students created art projects reflecting about themselves and sharing with new friends. They wrote Hello messages in different languages with chalk on the school’s walkway. During this Start with Hello week, the themes for each day were: Forget Me Not, Embrace Diversity, Spread Kindness, Hey Day, and Nothing Beats Team Support.

The students also participated during our schools’ social and emotional learning (SEL) hour by playing a Human Bingo game inside their classroom where they had to find students in their class that fit certain categories. This activity was one of their favorites, both students and teachers learned more about each other and found many things in common with one another.

We also brought a 360 degree camera and students danced and recorded themselves. Students also wrote positive messages on Post It notes and these were shared with new students that they met this week. We also had a day where we had icebreakers/conversation starters in the cafeteria which helped students connect and share more about themselves.

It was a very successful and fun week where we made new friends and created an even more inclusive and supportive school for all!