By Healthy Knight News reporters | This task is for you, Russell Byers students: “Say two nice things to someone every day,” said Mrs. Fromowitz, school psychologist.

Kindness helps people by releasing their stress and making them feel calmer, according to the video “The Science of Kindness,” created by the Random Acts of Kindness Foundation. When people show kindness, it also reduces anxiety and increases feelings of happiness and overall wellbeing, according to Cedars-Sinai Medical Center. If people show kindness, it is passed to others and will help make the world a better place.

Healthy Knight News reporters interviewed Mrs. Fromowitz about kindness and bullying in the school. Questions and responses have been lightly edited.

Question: How do you define bullying? What does it look like and sound like?
Mrs. Fromowitz: Someone that is purposely mean or hurtful to someone else.

Q: Is bullying an issue at our school? Why or why not?
Mrs. Fromowitz: Yes, when I have asked teachers if bullying is happening in the classroom, sometimes they say “yes.” So it is somewhat of an issue.

Q: What can students do?
Mrs. Fromowitz: Look at the positive in other students. Work on nice language and being respectful to other students. Have a positive mindset. Practice saying two nice things to someone every day. It could make their day better.

Q: What are some ways our school is working to prevent bullying?
Mrs. Fromowitz: We have a week of Anti-Bullying Spirit Week. Every morning we have Crew, and it works on building teamwork and community building. We work on building positive and kind behaviors.

Illustration by Quasiyon, fourth grade, Russell Byers, 2023–24.