ResourcesGreat Things are Happening at Aurora Frontier K-8
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Aurora Frontier K-8 students don’t just sit around and hope great things will happen to them, they make great things happen. During the past month, students and staff took action to create a positive school by distributing buttons, inviting a community leader to speak, and partnering with high school students to learn lessons beyond the classroom about personal responsibility and the value of diversity.
Kids Distribute Kindness- The Random Acts of Kindness Club passed out smiley face buttons and yellow ribbons to students as part of National Random Acts of Kindness Month. As the students presented the items, they shared a commitment to performing random acts of kindness for others. The club also made special buttons with community member Janet Kiyota a Superintendent Quarterly Award Winner
Leader Shares Lessons- Community member Will Babilonia visited students and shared a message about celebrating diversity. His message of “Don’t Hate, Celebrate!” encouraged students to make positive changes along their educational journey. His early childhood and his experiences as a former gang member led him to believe that stereotyping was what everyone did. He was eventually influenced by church leaders and learned how to accept personal responsibility. He joined the military and served in Iraq and is presently a youth pastor at a local Aurora church. He emphasized that he was never “taught” how to respect people from other backgrounds, and his hope for Aurora Frontier K-8 students is to learn from his errors.
“Will told us about his life story and how he learned things the hard way. He reminded us that what we look like on the outside doesn’t determine how we are on the inside.”
- Kimberly M.
Aurora Frontier Eighth Grader
Students Teaching Students- Aurora Frontier K-8 students partnered with 12 student leaders from Rangeview High School, who led small group sessions with an activity in stereotyping. Students were asked to name five prominent leaders that are Latino, African-American and persons with disabilities. Students struggled to find the answers. Then, they were asked to name five rappers and celebrities and answered with ease. Through this exercise the high school students pointed out that many people are influenced by celebrities rather than people who possess strong leadership qualities and come from diverse backgrounds.
“Our hope is that students had an opportunity to celebrate the diversity at our school and community. I believe our students learned that they are challenged with impacting the world and that these school experiences will lead them to capture the strengths they might have never known.”
-Kim Kaspar
Aurora Frontier K-8 Social Worker
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