| For many children going to school can be a | | | | muffins and gives them to her paperboy and four |
| challenging experience. Fear and insecurity can | | | | others - one of whom is Mr. Stevens, who then |
| often cause great kids to act in less than positive | | | | helps five different people with their luggage - one |
| and constructive ways. It has been estimated | | | | of whom is Maria, who then helps five people - |
| that 160,000 children miss school every day out | | | | including a man named Joseph who didn't have |
| of fear of being harassed or attacked by another | | | | enough money for his groceries - and so on, until |
| student. Bullying, targeted viciousness, and violence | | | | the deed touches every single person on the |
| in our schools have become a national concern. | | | | planet and finally comes back to Mary. |
| In 2004, Orchard Elementary School in Orem, | | | | After reading and discussing this book, the entire |
| Utah found itself with an especially difficult 6th | | | | 6th grade decided to set a goal of leaving their |
| grade class. Many of these students, both male | | | | school with 15,000 good deeds by the time they |
| and female, were forming predatory cliques that | | | | graduated. The results were astounding. Not only |
| seemed devoted to teasing, belittling and bullying | | | | did they reach their goal, but the entire tone and |
| other students before, during, and after school. | | | | climate of the school changed as a result. |
| "There was little empathy or respect for one | | | | "All the kids really became one cohesive group," |
| another," said Principal Brent Palmer, "A lot of the | | | | said Hill, "Popular kids started reaching out to less |
| kids were wonderful, but those that were causing | | | | popular kids and several kids left cliques they |
| problems were pretty aggressive." | | | | were in and forged new friendships. It was really |
| Deciding to take matters into her own hands, a | | | | hard for some of them emotionally but it turned |
| mother of one of the "problem" boys asked his | | | | out to be a really great thing. This program pulled |
| teacher, Lisha Hill, to allow her to try an | | | | kids out of the shadows, included them in social |
| experiment. She gathered all the 6th grade | | | | interactions and made them more aware of the |
| classes together and read them the book, | | | | ratio of positive to negative things they do." |
| "Ordinary Mary's Extraordinary Deed" by Emily | | | | In 2006, other Utah schools also began |
| Pearson, in which Mary, an ordinary girl from an | | | | successfully implementing this program. By taking |
| ordinary school on her way to her ordinary house, | | | | the focus off of negative behaviors and getting |
| stumbles upon ordinary blueberries. When she | | | | children, teens, and even adults united in a positive |
| decides to pick them for her neighbor, Mrs. | | | | goal, a difference can be made -- and that |
| Bishop, she starts a chain reaction that multiplies | | | | difference can be huge. |
| around the world. Mrs. Bishop makes blueberry | | | | |