Some days, it feels like the world is shouting — everyone is talking, few are listening, and kindness can get lost in the noise. But amid all that static, small moments still shine through. A student helping a classmate who’s struggling. A teen organizing donations after a local fire. A quiet act of courage that changes someone’s day.
Those are the moments the Kern County Superintendent of Schools (KCSOS) wants to lift up through its new Kern County Kindness Project — a countywide initiative honoring high school students whose random acts of compassion and humanity make a meaningful impact in their schools and communities.
The idea for the project came from Karen Goh, Mayor of Bakersfield, who wanted to shine a spotlight on the power of kindness among local youth. KCSOS was quick to partner on the initiative, aligning it with its broader efforts to elevate student leadership and build a culture of empathy across the county. With input from the Mayor and other community partners, the project grew into a shared effort.
“In a time when so much of the world feels divided, kindness has never mattered more,” said Amanda Frank, KCSOS Director of Community Relations. “This project is about coming together as a community to celebrate what’s good and decent in all of us — and our students are leading the way.”
To be eligible, nominees must be currently enrolled in grades 9–12 at a Kern County high school and in good academic and behavioral standing. Acts of kindness must have occurred within the current or past academic year and can range from small, consistent gestures to bold acts of courage or leadership that uplift others.
Honorees will be selected based on their impact, initiative and leadership, consistency, courage, and creativity — recognizing students whose actions inspire others, reflect empathy and integrity, demonstrate kindness as a sustained value, show bravery in difficult moments, and use thoughtful or innovative approaches to make a difference.
Nominees will be celebrated through formal recognition, social media storytelling, and an invitation to participate in a Kindness Leadership Training with CharacterStrong, designed to help them grow their influence and continue spreading compassion across their communities.
Teachers, peers, staff, and community members are encouraged to nominate deserving students — and self-nominations are welcome with a letter of reference.
The nomination deadline is December 5 and can be submitted HERE.
By Robert Meszaros
Rob Meszaros is Director of Communications for the Kern County Superintendent of Schools, where he has served since 2012. In his role, Meszaros oversees media relations, internal and external communication strategies, publications, Marcom, branding, and multi-media content creation. Before joining KCSOS, Meszaros was the PIO for CSU Bakersfield and earlier worked for seven years at The Bakersfield Californian.