Elizabeth Shevlin’s second grade class at Wantagh Elementary knows that kind words can make the difference in their overall outlook. In celebration of St. Patrick’s Day, the students participated in a joint art and English language arts activity writing compliments to one another. 

The students first talked about the definition of a compliment and how it makes their peers and themselves feel when an adulation is received. The students then decorated a pot of gold with their name and the phrase “What we treasure about…” and then wrote compliments on “coins” to collect in their pot of gold. 

Not only did the activity spread Irish cheer among the classroom, the students honed their compliment-writing skills.