Three students at Boulder's Creekside Elementary wanted to celebrate kindness, so they came up with the idea for the school's first kindness march.

While the initial idea was in response to the presidential election, the march itself wasn't political.

Instead, students carried colorful handmade signs with messages of inclusiveness, such as "be courageous," "kindness makes the world go round" and "everyone belongs."

"It's important to support kindness and make sure everybody is aware of how important this is," said fifth-grader Lila Nuttle, who organized the march with fifth-grader Madi Arnold and fourth-grader Grant Sims. "It just goes to show that a kid can make just as much of a difference as an adult."

Before the march, held Tuesday on Valentine's Day, the students performed skits and talked to the rest of the school about the importance of kindness. They also dedicated the march to a teacher's aide who "was really kind all the time" and recently died from cancer.

"Creekside has always been very inclusive and diverse," said Madi, pointing to a world map that shows all the countries where students at the school are from. "I really like that, and I wanted to celebrate it."

About 38 percent of the school's 320 students are low-income and about 20 percent are learning English as a second language. The school also houses a program for students with autism.

A grandparent paid for "kindness march" shirts for all the fourth- and fifth-grade students, while the three organizers made a banner they could carry to lead off the short march through the neighborhood.

Grant's mom, Alissa Sims, helped the students coordinate the event.

"It's so important for kids to learn to use their voices," she said.

She added that Creekside's inclusiveness helps students learn to see similarities instead of differences.

"Understanding and practicing compassion, inclusion and a sincere appreciation of and respect for diversity is so essential in a diverse community like Creekside and in the world around us," she said. "The Creekside community manages this beautifully because they integrate these concepts into the day-to-day learning environment."

The students said they plan to continue the theme through the rest of the school year with a weekly kindness challenge. Grant said they're encouraging classmates to "do nice things without being asked."

They said they also hope to see the march become an annual Creekside tradition, with Grant promising to continue it next year.

"I hope they do it for the next 60 years," Madi said.

Amy Bounds: 303-473-1341, boundsa@dailycamera.com or twitter.com/boundsa

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