Mieke and Elyse say the program has offered a great foundation 

for having ongoing conversations with students regarding the best 

ways to be kind, thoughtful, and caring when making decisions in 

everyday life. The teachers track the class’ progress in a blog so parents 

can follow and reinforce the teachings at home. It allows parents 

and teachers alike to plant the seed early that people are different, 

and that even though you are little, you can—and should—be the 

best person you can be. Ultimately, Mieke and Elyse believe it will 

result in closer friendships and more compassionate kids—not just 

in kindergarten and first grade, but far beyond. 

Moving forward, Mieke and Elyse say they would like to develop 

a seamless two-year program to ensure maximum impact for the 

students and build even greater camaraderie between the two grade 

levels.

“We’re grateful to work in a school where we have the freedom 

to build a curriculum around what students need,” Mieke says. “It's 

nice to be supported in the same way we’re teaching our students to 

support one another.”

As their final Swooper Citizens project of the year,  

Kindergarten students performed the musical play, “The Rainbow Fish” 

about a very vain fish who learns a valuable lesson on sharing.

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