Did you know that the students at Brown Elementary are filling their bucket?  Based on the #1 best selling children’s book, “How Full is Your Bucket?,” by Tom Rath and Mary Reckmeyer, Brown has created its own bucket.  The students learned from a character in that story, a boy named Felix, that you that can make another person feel more positive or negative by your actions.  Felix learns that it is like we have invisible buckets over our heads.  When our bucket is full, we feel happy and great.  When our bucket is empty, we feel sad. Making someone feel more positive is like filling their bucket, while being unkind or negative causes their bucket to drip and drain.  In the story, Felix learns that when you are kind to others, you not only fill their buckets, you fill yours as well!

At Brown, if anyone is seen showing an act of kindness, they receive a drop stating their act and it is placed in the bucket in the lobby of the school.  This is a concrete measure for kids to see these acts and they take so much pride in receiving a drop.  At the end of the school year, once the bucket is full, the students will receive their drops to take home.

The collaboration on this project within the school is evident.  Last year, music teacher Mark Jodice wrote a song about filling your bucket.  The students at Brown have all learned this song and it is sung during their yearend concerts.  They take so much pride in this song, it is great watching them perform it.

In conjunction with the bucket project, Building Support Facilitator Karen Fossett, has started a “bucket” program with all of the 3^rd graders at Brown.  Any 3^rd grader that is seen performing a random act of kindness (from opening a door for someone or helping with a lunch tray to being considerate to others while they eat) receives a ticket.  Each Monday, 4 tickets are pulled out of the bucket and the winner is treated to a special lunch with two friends.  The tickets are then displayed on the bulletin board in the cafeteria.

Brown School has done a tremendous job in helping their students recognize the importance of helping others feel good about themselves.  Keep up the great work and we hope to see your bucket overflowing by June!!

written by Shelley Juppe, Brown (and Kennedy) parent