Dec. 9, 2024-- If you've been practicing and modeling kindness for months or even years, then the spirit of the holiday season comes naturally.

Just ask the students at Intermediate East, who have embraced the Kindness Campaign since September, were caught putting that practice into action, and then invited to a holiday gathering where it was fully manifested.

Back in late November, Intermediate East English teacher Angela Germano's students were doing what they do best-- reading and being kind. Specifically, they were reading to the YMCA Children’s Program after school, and the next day they were sharing their original stories and poems at Sweetwaters Cafe at the Ocean County Mall. Being kind in public doesn't go unnoticed.

"Word quickly got out that I have very kind talented students who want to help their community," said Germano. "The Beachwood Recreation Committee reached out and asked if my students could read to children at their tree-lighting holiday event."

After Beachwood's big Dec. 1 Holiday Tree Lighting, the reviews started pouring in.

"I am getting compliments left and right about your readers," Beachwood Recreation Committee Chairwoman Heather Archer told Germano. "Their kindness was felt and was cherished by the families who came out to enjoy the night."

That culture of kindness has been embedded at Intermediate East over years, even if it's gone full throttle in 2024-2025 thanks to the kindness initiative.

"We've always tried to preach, practice, and model kindness here, not only by the way we interact with our students, but by how we treat each other as adults," said Principal Bryan Madigan. "So the goal of kindness comes naturally, but I think we've really taken it out into the community even more this year, which is so satisfying to see."

Germano also helps lead the school's Great Pajama Drive during the holidays, which has already gathered 100 pairs of PJs for children in need throughout Monmouth and Ocean County. Read Aloud programs (below) and craft events with the afterschool Y-Kids Program at Hooper Avenue Elementary also provide a community service while at the same time influencing a new generation of kind-hearted kids.

Intermediate East students were out in the community during Thanksgiving, spreading kindness by donating to families in need. That school-wide food drive yielded 600 items that were donated to Fulfill NJ's food bank (and earned the school's seventh graders the kindness contest win for being the grade level that collected the most).

The school's newly-formed PAWS (promoting animal welfare) program has students collecting donations for and even volunteering at the local animal rescue, which school leaders and club advisor Michelle LeFevre believes "fosters kindness by encouraging empathy, compassion, and a sense of responsibility for the well-being of animals in need."

Students create kindness notes which they discreetly place in the lockers of unsuspecting peers, and kindness cards thanking U.S. troops for their service. Administrators and teachers recognize students weekly as "Shining Stars," which earn pizza parties thanks to donations from Papa John's on Rt. 37. And pizza is not the only fuel for weekly motivation.

"Each week students' names are pulled from a bin of tickets that students have earned; we call it 'rocket fuel,'" said Assistant Principal Angela Palumbo. "Students earn these rocket fuel tickets for exhibiting our Rocket-Ready character traits- responsible, respectful, accepting, and kind."

That consistent, year-round, unrelenting effort to be kind takes a special form during the holiday season. Teachers have already organized a holiday donation drive for the school's families in need. The mentoring program has plans to build gingerbread houses with seniors in the community. And seniors at The Chelsea assisted living facility are sure to enjoy the annual holiday song extravaganza provided by Intermediate East's chorus.

Kindness itself doesn't demand reciprocation, but it has a unique way of spreading during this time of year, of repaying those who share it. It has a way to sparking joy.

Which brings us back to the Beachwood tree-lighting. Intermediate East sixth grader Mason Catelli was there as a reading volunteer. As a result, his kindness was repaid, as he was able to experience the event itself.

“It was like a scene out of Elf," Mason said. "There was caroling, food trucks, a giant igloo bouncer, even a 71-foot penguin escape obstacle course." There was also a mechanical reindeer, which Mason rode for 36 seconds, the longest ride of the night, he claimed.

That's right-- a student who gives back to others, revels in the joy of the holiday season, and can adeptly ride a bucking reindeer. At least one Intermediate East student is SO kind, he's halfway to becoming Santa Claus himself.