
When
looking
for
a
way
to
spread
kindness,
two
Springwoods
Elementary
School
students
turned
to
writing.
Leah
Jeffries,
fourth
grade
student,
and
Kartyr
Mainor,
fifth
grade
student,
each
authored
and
published
a
book
centered
around
being
kind.
Jeffries
wrote
"Be
Bold,
Be
Brave,"
a
book
of
mantras
and
affirmations
that
encourages
kids
to
be
kind
to
themselves,
while
Mainor
wrote
"Lift,"
a
metaphorical
story
about
flowers
meant
to
help
kids
understand
the
importance
of
respecting
their
parents.
Both
students
have
a
passion
for
writing,
thanks
to
experiences
at
school.
Mainor
first
found
a
love
for
poetry
and
writing
through
class
assignments.
Jeffries
found
that
love
after
a
visit
from
an
author.
"I
remember
in
second
grade,
the
author
of
'Pete
the
Cat'
came
[to
Springwoods]
and
inspired
me,"
said
Jeffries.
"I
thought
that
maybe
I
can
write
books,
too."
Since
then,
writing
has
become
a
hobby
for
Jeffries.
When
she
learned
about
bullies
and
ways
that
kids
can
be
unkind
to
one
another,
she
wanted
to
use
her
talent
for
good.
With
support
from
her
aunt,
who
is
an
author
of
three
books
herself,
she
compiled
positive
phrases
and
affirmations
into
"Be
Brave,
Be
Bold,"
which
she
hopes
will
empower
young
readers.
Similarly,
Mainor
has
a
family
inspiration
as
she
attributes
some
of
her
passion
for
writing
to
her
father,
a
poet.
With
encouragement
from
him
and
her
mom,
she
continues
to
write
and
look
for
ways
to
use
that
passion
to
help
others.
This
led
to
"Lift,"
a
story
she
created
after
seeing
television
shows
that
depict
kids
being
disrespectful
to
their
parents.
"I
always
liked
that
you
could
write
and
change
the
world
by
doing
what
you
love,"
said
Mainor.
"I
wanted
to
help
kids
form
a
strong
bond
with
their
parents
and
have
a
good
relationship
[with
them]."
Moving
forward,
both
students
want
to
write
and
publish
more
books,
including
sequels
to
"Be
Brave,
Be
Bold"
and
"Lift."
Until
then,
they
will
continue
to
practice
their
writing
and
spread
kindness
in
any
way
that
they
can.