Positivity on the Kindness Bus Goes Round and Round

COLTON>> Colton Joint Unified School District team members are taking to the streets to celebrate National Bullying Prevention Month and Unity Day in a positive way by hopping aboard the Kindness Bus. The orange bus, painted with slogans and pictures depicting kindness, inclusion and acceptance, cruised through communities served by the Colton Joint Unified School District on Unity Day, Wednesday, Oct. 19, to serve as a rolling billboard for the CJUSD Kindness Campaign. CJUSD is focusing on kindness in an effort to prevent bullying by reinforcing positive behaviors, as reflected in the district’s Positive Behavioral Intervention and Supports framework. CJUSD team members clad in orange T-shirts rode the bus to various sites in the district to spread a message of positivity and kindness. Many CJUSD schools participated in Unity Day “happiness sprinkling” events at the school sites. “I applaud our CJUSD Transportation and Student Services Departments for bringing this unique and engaging program to our staff and students,” said CJUSD Superintendent Jerry Almendarez. “We know that wellness, including emotional wellness, is critical to student success now and into the future. We hope that fun and meaningful programs such as the Kindness Bus will leave a lasting positive impression with our students and encourage them to share kindness with others.” The idea for the Kindness Bus came from Transportation Director Erick Richardson, who previously helped coordinate a similar program in another school district. In preparation for the day, students from all four CJUSD middle schools worked to paint the bus orange, while students from the district’s five high schools decorated it with positive sayings and pictures. Students used safe, washable paint for the project. Although the excitement of the Kindness Bus was intended for the October 19 activity, the district hopes everyone will catch the positive excitement and share it with others throughout the year.