Lenox Memorial Middle & High School’s Kindness Crew Hosts First Kindness Kickball Event for Sixth Graders

A sixth grader rolls the kickball toward home plate during the Kindness Kickball event at Orebred Park on Nov. 7. (Photo Courtesy Lenox Public Schools)

LENOX — The Lenox Memorial Middle & High School Kindness Crew recently hosted its first Kindness Kickball event, bringing seniors and sixth graders together to model teamwork, encouragement and positive peer leadership.

The event, which took place on Nov. 7 at Orebred Park, was organized and led by six seniors who are a part of the Kindness Crew, a student-run initiative focused on building a more kind and inclusive school culture.

Before the game, the seniors explained the purpose of the event: to highlight good sportsmanship and teamwork. Throughout the game, the Kindness Crew members modeled how to cheer for and support classmates.

The younger students immediately mirrored the behavior the seniors modeled.

“It was nice to see how the middle school students naturally replicated the actions that the seniors modeled for them during the game,” said Adjustment Counselor Amy Higgins. “There was a lot of cheering for each other, high fives and fist bumps, and encouraging words not just within the team, but even toward the opponents. It was a freezing cold afternoon, and no one seemed to notice. The older students were having a lot of fun and laughing at themselves, and even that taught the sixth-grade players what sports should feel like.”

The game featured two mixed teams of both seniors and sixth graders. They played a full game of kickball, with a focus on kindness rather than competition. Students cheered for one another during each play, and the entire group joined together at one point to encourage an individual player.

At the end of the game, seniors presented small prizes to recognize the sixth graders for their good sportsmanship.

The Kindness Kickball event aligns with the broader goals of the Kindness Crew, which has also led classroom lessons and pop-up activities for middle school students, including bracelet-making and informal gatherings.

“These feel a little more organic and bring students together to have natural conversations and learn from each other,” Higgins said. “The more faces they recognize in the hallway, the more they feel connected to each other and the kinder the community feels.”

The event is part of the broader “Kindness Makes a Comeback” initiative launched by students this fall. More than 20 seniors are participating in the Kindness Crew, which was formed after students and counselors identified a need to address unkind behavior and strengthen the school’s culture. The group has been organizing activities, mentoring middle schoolers, creating schoolwide messaging, and encouraging students to take meaningful steps toward making their peers feel supported.

“Student leadership has the ability to change school culture in real, tangible ways, and the Kindness Crew continues to demonstrate this,” said Superintendent Dr. Collins. “When older students take the time to mentor and support younger peers, it sends a powerful message about who we are as a school community.”

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