by Maya McFadden The New Haven independent
When 9-year-old Leon Gill saw a kindergartener crying in the hallway as he headed to lunch at King/Robinson School, he instantly stepped up to console the younger student until adult support was available.
Why? Because “it’s easy to help people,” Leon, a King/Robinson third grader, told this reporter Wednesday afternoon after lunch.
And as a result, Leon was given a King/Robinson “jag-tag” from math coach Gwen Ferguson to recognize his commitment to the school’s kindness pledge and expectation to always be respectful, responsible, and safe.
King/Robinson’s “jag-tags” are slips given to students to reward the good they’ve done during the day. The name comes from King/Robinson’s mascot, a jaguar.
On Wednesday, Ferguson noticed Leon’s act of kindness and thanked him with a jag-tag.
Leon said he didn’t know why the kindergartener was crying, but knew he would want to be consoled if it were him, so “I just imagined how he felt and helped.”
King/Robinson has spent the past month celebrating kindness with students inside and outside the classroom. The school will host a March for Kindness on Oct. 24 at 10 a.m. with its students in the Dixwell community.
When asked why being kind is important to Leon, he said, “We really need more respect and obedience. The world would be cleaner and people would be getting better jobs and [have] better personalities and there would be no bullies” if kindness was everywhere.
All King/Robinson staff can give jag-tags to students to recognize their daily good will and kindness around the building. At the end of each week, the school hosts a raffle with the students who received jag-tags to win a prize.
Ferguson, who has been teaching at King/Robinson for 20 years, said she looks for students going out of their way to show extra kindness around the building. “I always tell them, ‘Look out for each other, and it’s not just about you, it’s about everyone,’” she said. Regarding Leon’s act of kindness, “It really touched my heart.”
A second grader who also got a “jag-tag” from Ferguson for cleaning up after her peers.