Baldwin students celebrate kindness with 'Mama Gaga'

A few years ago, a Baldwin student was spotted holding an umbrella over someone while they tied their shoes in the rain. The simple act of kindness touched many and Dr. Shari Camhi, superintendent of the Baldwin school district, wanted to find the boy.

Despite her best efforts to find him, Camhi said the student never came forward — but that doesn’t surprise her much. Kindness is something Baldwin students live out every day, she said.

So when the district partnered up with Lady Gaga’s Born this Way Foundation for the 21 Day Kindness Challenge earlier this month, Camhi knew it would be no problem for Baldwin.

“You guys are unbelievably kind people,” she said at a Sept. 20 assembly in Baldwin Middle School’s auditorium. “This is simple for us. You guys do kind things every single day.”

The students gathered in the assembly to celebrate the district’s participation in the kindness challenge — which asks people to do a kind act for 21 straight days, inspired by the idea that habits are created by doing something for three weeks straight.

The Born This Way Foundation was started by Lady Gaga — whose real name is Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta — and her mother, Cynthia Germanotta, to support the mental well-being of young people and help them create a kinder world. Maya Smith, executive director of the Born This Way Foundation, told the Herald she came up with the challenge as her son prepared to enter kindergarten, and her desire to have him enter a caring environment.

The Baldwin school district was one of 20 participants in the inaugural challenge, and the only school district in New York to take part. Shadile Estepan, of the Born this Way Foundation, encouraged the students to invite others to engage in acts of kindness. “This campaign is an opportunity to kickstart a lifetime of kindness,” she said.

Cynthia Germanotta said in a pre-recorded message to Baldwin students that the district’s participation “means so much to us.” Students have been writing positive messages on a “graffiti wall,” helping out teachers and reaching out to new friends as part of the challenge.

“Just knowing that you are leading the way on Long Island with this challenge warms my heart so much,” Germanotta said before ending her message by blowing a kiss to the students.

Timothy Maher, principal of Baldwin Middle School, said he’s always told by visitors how nice the students are. “For me as principal, one of the most beautiful things for me to hear I hear every single time we have visitors to the school,” he said. “They inevitably will say how terrific our young people are and how kind everyone is.”