Redwood Elementary Celebrates Inclusivity with Start With Hello Week

Redwood Elementary School (Richland School District) in Shafter is celebrating its first-ever Start With Hello Week, joining schools nationwide in a program focused on fostering empathy and a sense of belonging among students. On Monday morning, Redwood staff, along with board members, district staff, high school students, and community members, walked the corridors, giving a warm greeting, a smile, and a big hello to every elementary student.

“We saw the Start With Hello program and thought it was a perfect event to implement for our scholars,” said Vanessa Alba, Redwood’s social worker. “This program is helping us continue our vision to promote a positive, inclusive, and welcoming environment where students feel safe and valued.”

Start With Hello is one of several programs created by the nonprofit Sandy Hook Promise, a national organization founded in the wake of the tragic school shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut. The nonprofit is dedicated to preventing violence in schools and protecting children from social isolation by creating safer and kinder schools through educational programs.

Start With Hello offers Social-Emotional Learning curricula for K-12 students. These curricula teach youth the signs of social isolation and how to create a more connected school community by reaching out to others and showing them they’re not alone. It can be as simple as saying hello.

Dozens of people dressed in green marched down the halls of the school to the sounds of the Richland Junior High School drumline, cheering and waving to all the students lined up outside their classrooms. Principal Ivonne Hernandez said the impact of such a simple gesture was immediate.

“You can see it. The whole day starts positive because they started with that smile, with that hello,” she said. “Our goal is for everyone, students, staff, and families, to know they belong here.”

Shafter High School’s Associated Student Body (ASB) volunteered to join in the event. Giada Rodriguez, a junior at Shafter High, expressed her excitement about returning to Redwood, her former elementary school, to give the younger kids a boost, and also get some of that positivity in return.

“Sometimes this is what the little kids need — to see that there’s older kids coming back and that we still enjoy where we came from,” Rodriguez said. “And sometimes us as teenagers, that’s what we need too.”

Throughout the week, Redwood Elementary will continue the theme with several activities, including lunchtime events and cultural celebrations, to ensure every student knows they are safe and welcome at school. Redwood’s efforts have already received praise from both students and staff, with many hoping it will inspire other schools in the district to adopt the Start With Hello program.

“We’re hoping it gets extended to other schools as a whole-wide district event,” Alba said. “We know this movement will improve our school climate, enhance scholars’ relationships, improve social/emotional skills, and create a greater sense of belonging.”