Bee Kind Initiative Buzzing at Barrington High

Treat others as you’d like to be treated. Play nice. If you can’t say something nice, don’t say anything at all. These are all things we’re taught as children but don’t always remember as we get older.

senior Leslie Martin has a mission to spread kindness and caring through the school and the community, and is doing so through the Bee Kind initiative.

“It’s an initiative to get people thinking about being kind to one another,” she said. “My mission was to get people to keep thinking about it. Everyone has the capacity to be kind, but we forget about it … I think that people need to remember that relationships are what our world is based around. We need to love one another and be kind to each other.”

The Bee Kind initiative is something Martin thought of last May. Once a victim of bullying and unkind words herself, she felt the need to do something about spreading kindness at school. One of the main ways she is getting the word out is through her T-shirt sales, which serve as a constant reminder to people to be nice to others throughout their day.

“We made T-shirts in the fall and I’ve been surprised in how many people purchased them and how many people continue to wear them. If people wear the T-shirts, they have a conversation about it … When I see a T-shirt or poster, I think, ‘I need to be kind to everyone.’ ”

Since Martin is a senior this year, she won’t be able to carry on the initiative in Barrington much longer. She hopes that someone else will take over for her and help get “Bee Kind” into the elementary and middle schools as well.

“Middle school is kind of that age where you’re still trying to figure out who you are and you see that mean behavior,” she said. “Originally it started with girls, but it happens with boys, too. Boys get bullied all the time. A lot of people focus on girls, but they forget boys get bullied, too.”

The Bee Kind initiative has made in impact not only in Barrington, but also in other communities and even other states. Martin has had people from Montana to Minnesota contact her about it, which has been a rewarding experience.

When asked what her goal is, Martin said she doesn’t have a great answer.

“I’ve never been really able to answer that question. It’s not like you can completely stop unkind behavior. It’s kind of to get people to understand and keep it in the forefront of your mind that your actions and words can hurt one another,” she said.

Martin is not only doing great things through Bee Kind, but she’s also been awarded a Golden Apple Scholarship. Check back to Barrington Patch for the full story on her road to becoming a teacher.