Blair Oaks Middle School offers resource to spread positivity among peers

Julie Smith/News Tribune photo: Mia Smith reacts Tuesday, Sept. 17, 2024, to seeing a post she made about her friend on the new Positive Wall at Blair Oaks Middle School in Wardsville. Seated with her in Tyler Schrimpf’s classroom are, from left, Harper Hentges, Cash Chouinard, Smith and Kinley Schlueter.

Sometimes kids need to hear good things.

Especially middle school kids.

Sometimes, those things are best said by their peers:

“Maggie is an awesome person.”

“They are amazing friends.”

That’s the principle behind Blair Oaks Middle School’s new Kindness Wall, an electronic display on television screens around the school building that can be updated with positive and encouraging messages submitted by students via Google Classroom on their Chromebooks.

Just last Friday, the middle school in Wardsville launched the program, sponsored and offered at no cost by Columbia College, and students eagerly began submitting messages for their classmates and teachers.

“We are incredibly proud to provide this source of encouragement and support that Blair Oaks students, faculty and staff can enjoy every day,” said Columbia College spokesperson Sam Fleury. “The opportunity to spread positivity and inspiration at schools around the state through the Kindness eWall and show students that Columbia College is here to offer them a welcoming experience is something we are passionate about.”

There are safeguards — the messages must first be approved by a staff member before appearing on the screens, and anything that is inappropriate or negative can be rejected.

And for a former English teacher like Principal Melinda Aholt, it’s hard not to fix grammar and punctuation every once in a while, too.

Since the program is so new, the school is still figuring it out, but for the most part, kids are having fun with it.

Every classroom has a TV, along with the office, the cafeteria and the library, although teachers can turn them off if they are a distraction.

Dozens of messages have been submitted and approved since Friday.

Some messages are shout-outs for a Blair Oaks sports team or a student’s talent.

Other comments include inspiring quotes and messages.

“Mrs. Verslues is the best!” counselor Maria Stokes pointed excitedly to a screen as teacher Jill Verslues walked through the office.

The students enjoyed seeing the messages they wrote.

“There’s mine,” cried one student, throwing her hands in the air as the slideshow played during her science class.

They also enjoyed seeing the messages written about them, or simply the broad encouraging messages for all.

One student offered a critique — he’d like to see a few more seconds on each slide because the longer messages are hard to read. Aholt said she’d look into it.

Stokes said she found out about the opportunity for the program from an announcement by the Missouri School Counseling Association.

Stokes said it’s nice to see an investment in education from an outside group, particularly when schools are working with limited funds.

“You give us tools to work with, we’re going to use those tools,” Stokes said.

Stokes said she does a “needs assessment” every year to determine what parents are concerned about. Last year, the top response that parents were worried about was respectful interactions with different groups and individuals, and many parents gave comments about bullying and cyber-bullying.

This resource is a way to add “some screen positivity,” Stokes said.

And to thank Columbia College, Blair Oaks Middle School wrote a message on the college’s Kindness Wall.

The sponsorship is statewide, so elementary, middle and high schools can obtain their own free Kindness Wall this year by visiting https://www.youuplift.com/ and filling out the onboarding form.