‘What we can do is be nice’: Burlingame Intermediate School promotes kindness to combat anti-Semitism

The seminar held in the school’s theater promoted the value of ethnic and cultural diversity while recognizing the threats posed by intolerance through observance of the Holocaust.

Students Alex Au, Ethan Wan, Danny Conway and Minnoli Raghavan drew from materials offered by the Anti-Defamation League to craft the message which they hoped would spawn kindness at their campus.

“The whole general idea is to have a safe community,” said Wan, who worked over the past couple weeks with his classmates to create the presentation which featured student narration, video history lessons, teacher lectures, administrator testimonials and group dialogue.

Conway, meanwhile, said Burlingame Intermediate School is not immune to instances of anti-Semitism, and he hoped the rally would encourage more tolerance among his fellow students.

“We just want to minimize all the hate,” said Conway.

Student organizers hoped to achieve such a goal through hosting periodic group discussions, during which students were encouraged to get to know their classmates better. In preparation for the event, Au said organizers participated in similar activities and found they shared many commonalties serving as the foundation for close friendships.

Principal Pam Scott too acknowledged instances recently in which anti-Semitic slurs were shared by students at the school, as well as other spiteful comments targeting gender or race.

In light of these reports, Scott said she felt it was important students remember the power of positivity and encouraged the middle schoolers to be allies in the effort to extinguish bigotry.

“I hope you leave this room the type of person that people can count on,” she said.

Scott advocated for students to consider random acts of kindness to improve the campus culture and help those who may be feeling vulnerable grow more comfortable at school.

To illustrate the wide reach of intolerance, Superintendent Maggie MacIsaac shared in a recorded message memories of instances when she was treated poorly as a young student due to her differences from her classmates.

“I was bullied as a young person and I still remember,” said MacIsaac, who reminded students “you can choose to be kind,” while advocating for them to remain respectful of their collective differences.

Those who have been responsible for building a more welcoming school environment received acknowledgment from teacher Christina DeGregorio, who expressed her appreciation for particularly welcoming or supportive students.

From students who helped their classmates work through difficult assignments to those who brightened the day of struggling teachers, DeGregorio recognized the people she considered “everyday heroes” at the campus.

She said such kindness shared among students can help those who may not be showing their need for a confidant.

“There’s still a lot you can do to rescue the people around you who you may not even know need rescuing,” she said.

DeGregorio also shared her personal connection to instances of combating anti-Semitism by remembering her grandfather’s time serving in World War II in the fight against Nazi Germany.

While Raghaven noted it was not possible for the middle schoolers to commit similar acts of heroism in the shared effort to snuff out intolerance, she said students still hold the power to make the world a better place in smaller ways.

“We can’t stop wars and we can’t solve world hunger, but what we can do is be nice,” she said.

austin@smdailyjournal.com

(650) 344-5200 ext. 105