CMS Annual Kindness Tour Sweetens Day

BY CHERYL CONWAY STAFF WRITER

MOUNT OLIVE - The Ches- ter M. Stephens Elementary

School 14th annual Kindness

Tour held last month brought sprinkles of sunshine throughout the community, even through the day’s raindrops.

For its founder, CMS second grade teacher Ann M. Scotland— this is her last tour as she gets ready to retire July 1 and venture off into the sunset into her next chapter. She has made many rainbow connections after working more than three decades in the township, but kindness does not end at the end of her rainbow.

Her final tour was held May 4 and it began on Sunset Drive with all of the kind greetings and signs that decorated their path. Second graders sang kindness songs for friends and family. To attend their concert, they needed a ticket which was attained by donating a non-perishable food item for the Mt. Olive Food Pantry.

The tour continued with a visit from a service dog from The Seeing Eye. This lesson collaborated with the students’ visit at the All-Veterans Memorial in Budd Lake, where the students learned about the War Dogs memorialized there.

Students took some time to make new friends and create friendship bracelets, Color a Smile for senior citizens of New Jersey, and painted rocks at Pinot’s Palette in Hackettstown to scatter inspiration out in the community.

Their theme this year was “Just Bee You.”

Honey, rainbow connections and kindness tours definitely make the world that much sweeter.

Did You Know?

Despite their diminutive size, blueberries pack quite a powerful, healthy punch. Blueberries contain a compound known as anthocyanin, which gives them their blue hue but also contributes to their nutritious properties. For example, the Mayo Clinic notes that studies have found consumption of foods that are high in anthocyanins can help individuals lower their risk of developing coronary heart disease. In addition, blueberries are a good source of vitamin C and dietary fiber, making them worthy of addition to anyone’s diet.