Southgate’s Maddie Simson welcomes new student with kindness, earns Kids Care award for June

When Southgate Elementary 5th grader Maddie Simson heard her class was getting a new student this year, she was excited. When she heard that her new classmate was coming from a foreign country and didn’t speak English, she wanted to make sure they felt welcome. So Maddie took it upon herself to make sure that was the case.

Maddie created a video to welcome the new student using a video program called WeVideo and filled it with phrases in Spanish she translated through Google Translate. The class played it for the new student on their first day in class, and Maddie says she could immediately see the relief on the new student’s face, and they started smiling.

“I just felt like they would be nervous, and I wanted them to feel welcome,” Maddie said. Her efforts have continued since then, as Maddie makes sure to play with the new student at recess and speak with them as much as she can. One of Maddie’s other classmates helps the two communicate by translating from English to Spanish and vice versa.

“It melted my heard to know someone had that type of compassion and empathy,” said Maddie’s teacher Mrs. Pinkham, who also nominated her for the Kids Care award. “I have 24 great kids.” Mrs. Pinkham says the entire class has done a great job embracing the new student and making them feel welcome.

Maddie learned how to use WeVideo through a class project where the class made movie-type trailers for books.

Congratulations to Maddie for being our Kids Care Award winner for the month of June!

Category: Archive, District News, Southgate