Written by Marie Kane |
Photos by Mrs. Hagness and Marie Kane
On Thursday, August 31st, the second day of the 2017-2018 school year, there was an assembly during advisory on the Kindness Revolution and the Kindness Club.
During the assembly, Principal Keri Hagness explained how a staff member in our school sent a letter to Leon Logothetis, a celebrity who has his own Netflix series, The Kindness Diaries. This staff member was Special Education Teacher Lynn Butkus. Mrs. Hagness shared the letters to and from Mrs. Butkus and Leon. Leon will be coming to our school on September 27th.
Mrs. Butkus emailed Leon in response to his Facebook post announcing he would be making a speaking tour this fall. Mrs. Butkus told Leon about Morgan beginning a Kindness Initiative and how we would love to have him come speak at our school.
Leon responded right away.
Mrs. Butkus became a fan of Leon when he was interviewed on the Today Show about his Netflix series, The Kindness Diaries. She then began watching his series. She has been following him for approximately two years now.
“When Leon comes to Morgan I am hoping he will inspire students to practice random acts of kindness toward each other and the community at large. He has such uplifting stories of people who have nothing and sacrificed what little they had to help him on his journey.” Mrs. Butkus hopes that kindness will be understood more and practiced more by students as part of their every day lives instead of just one moment. “I want people to recognize how fulfilling it is to connect, with other human beings.” She wants students to feel the power of kindness.
Mrs. Butkus said that Leon responded to her comment the same day she posted it: “I was beyond excited because I know what a profound speaker he is and the cool stories he has to share. (Plus I look forward to giving him a big hug when he arrives and thanking him for sharing his journey).”
She and Leon have been corresponding back and forth for a few weeks. Leon is excited to come to Morgan and meet everyone. Mrs. Butkus would love to make arrangements with him again and try to have him return to Morgan at a later date, and if he cannot return physically, maybe we can consult with him via email and Skype to continue the Kindness Initiative here at Morgan.