ARLINGTON- Eagle Creek Elementary’s Great Kindness Challenge kicks off this week to coincide with the national movement, but students are already getting prepared for the event.

A checklist with 50 acts of kindness has been sent home with students for them to complete as many kindness acts as possible.

Student leaders who are part of the Respect Team have been working on banners and pennants for the event.

The Great Kindness Challenge is a national movement designed to increase tolerance, unity and respect. More than 11,000 schools across the country are involved in the event.

During the week of Jan. 23-27, district office staff, city representatives and community members will greet Eagle Creek students as they arrive at school. School activities include writing letters to local hospital patients, thank you letters to teachers, cleaning up the playground and a book swap.

“The idea behind the event is to be kind to everyone you meet,” fifth-grader Dallas Miller said. “But it’s not just being kind for one week. It’s being kind for the whole year.”

Eagle Creek has held many spirit weeks with kindness as a focus, but this is the first time the initiative has gone beyond the school building.

Students are making kindness banners for local businesses and schools, the city of Arlington, police and fire, and the airport will be involved with the events this week.

“We want to show students that spreading kindness throughout the whole community is important, not just in our building,” said Colene Jablonski, Eagle Creek counselor and organizer of the event.