George Washington Middle School was recently named one of 10 national finalists in the KIND Schools Challenge, which invites middle- and high-school students nationwide to submit project ideas for making their school community kinder and more inclusive.

The team from Washington Middle School was selected as one of 10 finalists out of more than 190 applications from 28 states and Washington, DC.

Students on the Washington team aim to empower their peers to perform and spot small acts of kindness. As part of their project, they will hand out Kindness Cards to students who do a kind act along with an explanation on how and when to pass their cards on. The goal is to encourage students to think before speaking and acting in ways that are unkind.

The challenge is hosted by Making Caring Common, a project of the Harvard Graduate School of Education, and the KIND Foundation, a philanthropic entity started by KIND Healthy Snacks.