Every day, we are witness to countless interactions between the people around us. Often overlooked within these moments are the small acts of kindness that become almost too routine for our minds to notice. Whether between friends or strangers, these moments exist everywhere if you look hard enough. Have you ever watched someone holding a door for others? Cleaning up trash in a public space? Our lives are filled with them.

The lives of our students are similarly filled as they pass from class to lesson to sports practice. Greetings, questions, jokes, and laughter all play a part, but what about the small acts of kindness that too easily go unnoticed?

At IMS, we seek to shine a light on these often overlooked interactions through something we call, “Lollipop Moments.” It’s simple. Teachers and students share a moment they have observed and we publicly acknowledge the student during Monday “Community Time,” while Mr. Harris tosses them a lollipop. Through this routine practice of acknowledging small gestures of kindness, we are actively cultivating and nurturing kindness at IMS. At the end of the day, it is these small moments that feed into our motto, life through service.