Students, faculty, staff, and administrators at O’Shea Keleher Elementary celebrated a week of kindness from Aug. 12 to 19 at their campus, including a celebration with Pinksocks Life, dress-up days, a family meal and kindness pledge at Peter Piper Pizza and a special concert and generous donation from an up-and-coming country singer.
The festivities began with a visit from Pinksocks Life, which welcomed the Crusaders to the highly celebrated tribe that dedicates itself to spreading the message of kindness worldwide.
“It’s great to be here at O’Shea Keleher Elementary to be a part of this kindness pep rally where the kids received pink socks for themselves and were given a pair of pink socks to gift to someone else,” said Nick Adkins, co-founder of Pinksocks Life. “These socks work as a reminder to have love, empathy and inclusivity.”
The Pinksocks movement empowers people from all walks of life to connect with anyone, anywhere, by creating a global tribe of pink socks-wearing people who are focused on empathy, caring and love.
Their motto is “The world is full of good! When you believe it, you see it. Keep doing that!” Through their distribution of bright pink socks adorned with mustaches and puzzle pieces the organization has created a movement focusing on the importance of being kind to one another.
Abigail Nunez, a fifth-grade student, said her favorite thing about the pink socks is the pattern of funky mustaches, which she said makes her smile.
“I feel my school does a good job of trying to spread kindness,” Nunez said. “It makes me proud to be at this school, especially because the teachers and staff here are so kind. They set a good example and I’m excited to be a part of this kindness movement.”
Mario Blancas, a special education teacher at O'Shea Keleher Elementary, is the brother of Zelene Blancas, a first-grade teacher at Dr. Sue A. Shook Elementary who passed away in 2020 due to COVID-19.
His sister was well known for her dedication to providing students with excellent education, teaching others to show compassion and kindness, being a valued member of Socorro AFT and becoming a proud member of the Pinksocks Tribe.
“We’re happy to be here celebrating kindness with this movement that my sister first welcomed to our district at Sue Shook,” Blancas said. “I’m proud to be continuing her legacy.”
Blancas said the focus on kindness is important to social emotional learning, which SISD is dedicated to in order to better support students' overall growth.
The Pinksocks Tribe has grown to 33 schools across the United States alone and has distributed over 200,000 pairs of pink socks, which includes recent visits to Bill Sybert School, Campestre Elementary, Purple Heart Elementary, and El Dorado High School.
The O’Shea Keleher Crusaders also had fun demonstrating their kindness with dress-up days during the week.
Monday was “Kickoff Into Gear and Help Somebody Near” wear your favorite team jersey or t-shirt, Tuesday was “Work out your problems with kindness” wear workout clothes, Wednesday was “Crusaders are Crazy for Kindness” wear an O’Shea Keleher spirit shirt or school colors with pink socks, Thursday was “May the force of kindness be with you” wear a Star Wars t-shirt, and Friday was “Kickin’ off Kindness for the new school year” wear your best western wear.
On Aug. 18, students and their families were invited to Peter Piper Pizza for dinner and to sign a pledge of kindness. Families showed up in full support of O’Shea Keleher and their commitment to be kind at school, home and in the community.
Then, on the final day of kindness week, students were surprised when country singer Frank Ray performed a concert in the school cafeteria and donated $600 worth of school supplies.
The country singer gave the school numerous items, such as markers, crayons, pencils/pens, paper, notebooks and more. He also donated a Bluetooth speaker system in partnership with Lowes for teachers to use for special events.
“School was where I fell in love with music in the first place,” Ray said. “The art programs were the biggest contribution to my growth as an artist and I think it is important to keep nourishing that and to give back to the music community, which is the reason for who I am.”
Ray sang a couple of his hits and invited first-grade student Cameron Martin to the stage to help him sing his hit song “Country’d Look Good On You.”
Martin, who also aspires to be a country singer when he grows up, was ecstatic about the experience.
“I met Frank Ray and that felt good cause he is my favorite country singer,” Martin said.
Isabella Dominguez, a fifth-grade student, said she was surprised about the special visit, especially because she loves “Country’d Look Good on You,” but she was more thankful for his generosity.
“I’m grateful for all the school supplies Frank Ray donated because I know it means a lot for the kids who can't afford school supplies and we are thankful for his kindness,” Dominguez said.
School teachers and administration also were grateful for the donation of school supplies. O’Shea Keleher Elementary principal Laura Garcia said the school continues to see the financial impact of the COVID pandemic, so the donation is greatly appreciated to help those in need.
“This is just amazing,” Garcia said. “We as administrators go out and buy school supplies for our children who do not have them and work so hard to make sure that no matter what our kids are never left out of anything. Having this grand school supplies donation helps us ensure that no student goes without the necessary tools needed for their education.”
Published September 7, 2022
Strategic Direction: Home, School, Community Partnerships