On Friday, November 15, 2024, Roslyn elementary school students kicked off World Kindness Day with school-wide assemblies to commit to the second annual E Pledge—created by Gary and Lynne Falkowitz in honor of their son Ethan. World Kindness Day is an international holiday observed annually, devoted to the positive potential of large and small acts of kindness.

The Falkowitzs participated in school-wide assemblies at Harbor Hill and East Hills Elementary Schools to share stories about their son and promote the importance of kindness. Videos were also shared to show examples of how kindness can be easily spread.

For the next 100 days, students will be encouraged to memorialize acts of kindness that they witness by writing the students’ names on a small paper heart, stating how they saw that student being kind. At Heights School, kindergarten students will write on butterflies. The hearts and butterflies will be collected from classrooms weekly and then displayed as an art installation in the hallway of each school next February.

Click here for more information about the Ethan Falkowitz Foundation.