PROVIDENCE – Some say no good deed goes unpunished. At St. Pius V School, no good deed goes unnoticed. Since September, Principal Sister Ann Hyacinth, O.P. has been accepting weekly nominations from staff members, parents and students for a student who has behaved virtuously.
Every week she selects a "witness of the week" whose actions set them apart from other students. "They're growing closer and closer and trying to imitate Christ," she said.
Some of the acts rewarded so far include a kindergarten student who gave his bag of Halloween candy to a classmate after she lost hers, a 7th grade student who returned a high honors certificate when he realized he hadn't actually met all of the requirements, and another student whose name was chosen because of consistent kindness and good behavior throughout the school year.
Initially, the students were rewarded for their good deeds with a certificate and a small gift like a Rosary or saint card; but now, thanks to a grant from the Alan Shawn Feinstein foundation, Sister Hyacinth plans to purchase books to give each weekly winner. The book, "The Children's Treasury of Virtues" by William Bennett, is a collection of morally-guided stories.
The students, Sister Hyacinth has noticed, have begun to work hard to garner nominations. "They're conscious that we're watching and that their classmates are too," she said. One 6th grade student was nominated by 7th graders when they saw him clean off a lunch table even though he wasn't assigned to.
"Children are in formation," Sister Hyacinth said, "It's important that they have good role models to imitate, even if it's their classmates."
The program is also important, she said, because students are recognized for "doing what we expect them to do." When the weekly winner's name is announced for the entire school to hear and their pictures is placed on the wall of witnesses, students see that "you can get attention and recognition for a good thing," she said.
