"The hearts on the common project is back for Random Acts of Kindness Day. Each heart was decorated by one of our students as a reminder to keep kindness in mind. Shout out the FHS Community Service & Peer Mentor Club for assisting with set up 💗 https://t.co/0MEfukJPo8"Shared from Twitter: https://twitter.com/FranklinPSNews/status/1494366552136765442
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| Hearts of Kindness update |
masked or not,
life on the edge
or not, let’s find
within ourselves
hearts of kindness
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| some of the "Hearts of Kindness" hung around the Town Common |
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We are now producing this in collaboration with Franklin.TV and Franklin Public Radio (wfpr.fm).
This podcast is my public service effort for Franklin but we can't do it alone. We can always use your help.
How can you help?
Through this feedback loop we can continue to make improvements. I thank you for listening.
For additional information, please visit Franklinmatters.org/
If you have questions or comments you can reach me directly at shersteve @ gmail dot com
The music for the intro and exit was provided by Michael Clark and the group "East of Shirley". The piece is titled "Ernesto, manana" c. Michael Clark & Tintype Tunes, 2008 and used with their permission.
I hope you enjoy!
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You can also subscribe and listen to Franklin Matters audio on iTunes or your favorite podcast app; search in "podcasts" for "Franklin Matters"
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| "Talk Franklin" features vaccine distribution readiness, Davis Thayer, stormwater, "Hearts of Kindness" and #Project Envoy |
"Acts of kindness are a lot like exponents in a mathematical expression. Once they are applied, they only expand in greater quantity.
That is the essential quality about kindness that students in the town’s school system are adeptly demonstrating with their Hearts of Kindness project - an endeavor to spread words of kindness and inspire kind acts.
For the past couple of weeks, children in grades K through 12 from 11 schools have been decorating hearts cut from foam board and writing notes containing references to kindness and kind acts. It fits in perfectly with Valentine’s Day, but is at its heart a recognition of Random Acts of Kindness Week, Feb. 17-20, and an expression of a growing movement to encourage more kindness and connectedness in everyday social interactions.
On Wednesday, a crew of student volunteers descended on the town common to hang the messages for all to share, using clothespins to secure them to lines strung between the trees by the Department of Public Works."
"For the second time, hearts adorn the Franklin Town Common, strung up from tree to tree to celebrate both Valentine’s Day and Random Acts of Kindness Week.
Uxbridge High School adjustment counselor Alison Ciccone saw the positive impact of the project a few years ago and decided last year it was time to bring it to Franklin.
The project has been going on for seven years in Uxbridge, but it’s Franklin’s second year being involved, she said. In Uxbridge they hung over 1,000 hearts, while in Franklin they hung about 500 this year, but the movement is certainly growing, she said."
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| hearts of kindness on the Franklin Town Common |
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| hearts of kindness on the Franklin Town Common 2 |
"The Fine and Performing Arts Department at the Benjamin Franklin Classical Charter Public School has announced the upcoming performances of “No Strings Attached” to be held from 7 to 9:30 p.m. March 1, and 2 to 4:30 p.m. March 2 at the Horace Mann Middle School, 224 Oak St.
Tickets are priced at $17 for adults and $13 senior citizens and children younger than 10. Tickets will be sold at the door or an order form will be available for download at http://bfccps.org.
When Carl, a teenager, wants to run away from home, he applies for a job with the mysterious Professor Pinecone and his traveling magical marionette puppet show. He quickly discovers, however, that the position comes with all kinds of strings attached. Once he feels the magical jolt in Professor Pinecone’s handshake, he embarks on the audition of his life.
In this play-within-a-play, Carl becomes Pinocchio and improvises his way through the story, meeting some familiar characters — including a cricket with an attitude (“I’m Gonna Bug Ya”), the devious fox and cat (“Easy Money”) and the memorable Blues Fairy (“Blues Fairy Mama”) — as well as some new ones. With the help of this eclectic cast, Carl stumbles upon life’s lessons as he’s forced to make important decisions. After a string of poor choices (which makes his nose grow and ultimately leads him to make a donkey of himself), he finally does something good for a change by saving Geppetto from the mouth of a giant shark."Continue reading the article online (subscription may be required)
"The importance of a random act of kindness is not lost to the youth of Franklin.
Nine-hundred felt, paper, and foam hearts were strung up last week with clotheslines and pins, dangling from tree to tree at the Franklin Town Common to commemorate both Valentine’s Day and simple, everyday niceties.
Two hearts are weaved or glued together to create a pocket in the middle. Each heart-pocket contains a note describing a random act of kindness performed by a Franklin student.
Messages about helping friends build snowmen and aiding with school work are stuffed into the small pockets that are laced around the park and gazebo."
