This year, all Yavneh Academy Middle School students read the book Wonder by R.J. Palacio. Wonder is about a boy named Auggie who is excluded and teased because of a physical deformity. But the book is truly about the courage of those students who stood by Auggie’s side and supported him. The book represents the motto “Choose Kind” as it stresses the importance of the bystanders standing up to social exclusion or bullying.
A special Wonder Day was held at Yavneh Academy after the students had read the book. Students entered through the main doors and viewed a banner with the words, “Choose Kind” and the quote from the book, “When given the choice between being right or being kind, choose kind.”
Middle School students dressed in blue, the color of the book, and an original video was created by students Hayley Greene, Eliana Feigenblum, Rachel Fried, Leora Papier, Stephanie Appelbaum, Devin Berman, and Benjy Feintuch stressing the important role we all play in “choosing kind” and making sure all feel included. After viewing the powerful video, students each received bracelets with the words “At Yavneh We Choose Kind.” The Yavneh students wrote about this topic in their English classes as well. In addition, A Wonder hallway was created where all the students’ writings were displayed and each class had the opportunity to peruse the pieces.
In essence, the hope is that all students have gained from reading and discussing this book and will leave this Wonder Day with the message from the heroine in the book, Summer Dawson: ”If you can get through middle school without hurting anyone’s feelings, that’s really cool beans.”
