Middle School boys explored the power of gratitude, while Middle School girls learned about the importance of kindness as they engaged in two-hour workshops on these values this October.

The girls’ workshop on kindness was led by Lauren Paul and Molly Thompson, who created the Kind Campaign, an anti-bullying nonprofit that focuses on girl-on-girl conflict. Paul and Thompson battled similar bullying growing up, and together they traveled the country to shoot an anti-bullying documentary, Finding Kind.

After viewing the video, the girls filled out cards apologizing to someone they’ve bullied, writing descriptions of how they themselves have experienced bullying, and detailing how they plan to integrate kindness into their daily life.

Meanwhile, the boys broke into small groups, where they learned about the concept of gratitude through a guided visualization and writing exercise. The boys were asked to focus on a person who has been particularly influential in their life, and they each wrote an essay describing how they have been helped by that person.

After viewing a video entitled The Science of Happiness, the boys were asked to call the person that they wrote about, and to share their essay — an emotional task that required a great deal of courage. The students then discussed reasons why it is important and beneficial to show gratitude on a daily basis.