PINELLAS COUNTY, Fla. — It may seem like a simple gesture to say "hello!" or flash a smile, but those simple gestures can go a long way when it comes to connecting with others.
That’s what Pinellas County Schools are instilling in their students this week.
Kindergartners at Brooker Creek Elementary School were filling up the kindness jar. It’s all part of “It Starts with Hello Week.”
PINELLAS NEWS | The latest headlines from Pinellas County
“I met this kid named Evan and I said, ‘hello’ for the first day and me and him are still friends till this day,” said fourth grader Luke Whealan.
His fourth grade class were writing down goals on how to be inclusive and nice to those we may not know.
“We were at a trampoline park and I saw this girl alone like not doing anything and I asked her if she wanted to play and she was shy, but still wanted to play with me and I felt happy for myself and happy for her too,” said fourth grader Samantha Bastacky.
Over in art class, students were creating posters with all the different ways to say hello all over the world.
Students hope adults can also learn from them. They said people are so into their phones sometimes they forget to look up, smile and say hi.
“I just get a little frustrated with them sometimes I go up and ask them what’s going wrong with their day and stuff,” said fourth grader Ryker Cerniglio.
