Dearborn Public Schools hosts Care to the Core Day
DEARBORN, Mich. (CBS DETROIT) - Dearborn Public Schools changed up its curriculum this week to include some lessons in kindness.
It's called "Care to the Core Day."
Students across the district dedicate part of their day to spreading kindness, wellness and peer support.
"It wasn't until my early high school years that I decided to stand against the stigma," said Selma Alawbal, a senior at Edsel Ford High School
Wellness advocates, and lessons in gratitude and empathy.
Those, and more, are all part of Care to the Core Day in Dearborn Public Schools.
"We started this about eight years ago and it's really just to promote social and emotional learning, bullying prevention, wellness in the district," said Glenn Maleyko, superintendent of Dearborn Public Schools.
"It does definitely continue to show them that we as professionals, as educators that we care about core values, about kindness, about empathy, about how we treat each other," added Rola Bazzi-Gates, social emotional learning coordinator for Dearborn Public Schools.
Students are able to learn from one another.
"When the students are leading it, the students tend to listen more to the students. And we're there are the role models and leaders, but I think student voice is so critical," said Maleyko.
"I think the best part was us three getting to share our personal experiences so that maybe some kids can relate to us and understand that there are people that look like them, or sound like them or go to the same high school as them and deal with the same problems they do on a daily basis," said Alawbal.
In the end, it shows we're more alike than different and that school is a place where everyone is included.
"We need to do more of these things on a regular basis and continue to improve. I think not only in Dearborn but across the state because public education is a great institution because it supports students and it supports the betterment of the community," said Maleyko.
Every Dearborn Public school participates in Care to the Core Day as part of the district's social and emotional learning initiatives.