Chalking Up Kindness: Wysong students spread positive messages with Hope Ambassadors project

May 21, 2025

Wysong Elementary School students created colorful displays of kindness this spring by crafting positive messages with pieces of chalk.
 
More than 30 Wysong fourth graders spread across the school’s outdoor recess area to work on a confidence-boosting “Chalk the Walk” project. They transformed the gray cement with phrases such as “Kindness Matters in the World,” “Good Vibes Only,” “You’re Going to Have a Great Day,” “Today You Rock” and “It’s a Great Day to Have a Great Day.”
 
Jules, Charlotte and Emma are three members of the Wysong Hope Ambassadors group, which is open to all fourth and fifth graders. Their goal is to build boulevards of hope throughout campus with activities that encourage and inspire others.

 
“The reason why we all joined is because we want to make sure everybody feels welcomed, kind, respected and heard,” Charlotte said. “Hope Ambassadors is all about spreading kindness all around.”
 
“I would recommend Hope Ambassadors because it’s super fun to do,” Emma said. “You get to be with your friends and you get to lift people up.”
 
Jules said she was happy to have a chance to work on the “Chalk the Walk” venture. She and her fellow Hope Ambassadors filled all corners of the playground area with pick-me-up notes in a 30-minute span. She felt it would make an impact on other Wolves throughout the day.
 
“I hope that they just read it and that, if they’re having a bad day, it makes them feel happy and feel better,” Jules said.

 
Amy Hix and Ursula Vernon-Hansen smiled as they watched students chalk up many victories on the sidewalk. Hix is Wysong’s school counselor and Vernon-Hansen is the school’s social worker. They have led Hope Ambassadors in a wide variety of uplifting projects throughout the year.
 
Hix said she and Vernon-Hansen felt the chalk activity would be a great way for the group to spread its message. Not only would the Hope Ambassadors feel good about creating the chalk drawings, but their words would be visible to hundreds of students who use the playground each day.

 
“This is a playground that everybody comes to,” Hix said. “This is where in the middle of the day, several times a day, all students are going to see the messages. Hopefully it will kind of shift some mindsets if we’re maybe having a hard day, and kind of those reminders that we’re all awesome and it’s good to smile and feel good about yourself.”
 
Hix and Vernon-Hansen told the Wolves about their plans when they gathered for their morning session. Emma and Charlotte said they were happy when they spotted containers full of large chalk on a small desk.
 
“I was really excited because I knew it was going to be positive in every way,” Emma said.
 
“It was like a really beautiful day out, and it was like, ‘Well, why don’t we just help people feel welcomed and have a great day?’” Charlotte said. “So, let’s go!”

 
Fourth and fifth graders who wanted to become Hope Ambassadors this year wrote a two-paragraph paper sharing why they wished to join the group. They have met twice a month to work on lessons that promote a positive environment in Wysong’s building.
 
The Wolves began the fall by talking about what they were hopeful for and how they could turn those ideas into reality. They made posters that illustrated messages of kindness and hope for their classmates, and they created an anti-bullying chain for other students to sign. They pledged that they would not bully others at school, home or anywhere else.
 
The Hope Ambassadors also spent time raising awareness and funds for this spring’s Extra Mile Walk. They joined hundreds of other LPS students who helped gather money for the Food Bank of Lincoln’s BackPack Program, which provides food-filled backpacks to children who may otherwise face food insecurity.
 
Hix said the Hope Ambassadors have become more aware of their difference-making abilities as the school year has moved along.
 
“I think that they kind of understand the impact that they can make,” Hix said. “Just those friendship skills and including people, and what a powerful thing that is for people.”
 
All of the Hope Ambassadors will have opportunities to join Hope Squads when they enter middle and high school. Hope Squad members help their classmates by connecting them with trusted adults and supporting them in difficult situations. They also explain to students how school counselors, social workers, nurses, psychologists, teachers, administrators and other trained professionals are there to offer help and encouragement.
 
Emma said the Wysong Hope Ambassadors’ top goal was to create colorful displays of kindness every minute of every day.
 
“A Hope Ambassador is someone who lifts people up whenever,” Emma said. “Even if they’re not having a bad day or they’re just like feeling fine, you can always lift them up. It doesn’t even have to be something big. If you give them a high five or a hug or hold the door for them, that’s what a Hope Ambassador is.”
 
Visit home.lps.org/counseling and home.lps.org/socialworkers/ to learn more about hope-filled initiatives such as Hope Ambassadors and Hope Squads at LPS.
 
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