MARSHALL — Marshall Middle School fifth-graders recently attended a Youth Frontiers Kindness Retreat held at the Marshall Area YMCA.

MMS fifth-grade language arts teacher Emily Pollock said the students and staff loved the experience.

“It was a great day, as always,” Pollock said. “It’s such an inspiring and motivating day for the kids and for the staff.”

Pollock said the fifth-grade students and staff are very grateful for the opportunity to attend the Kindness Retreat.

“The retreat inspires character by engaging the kids in activities that emphasize the value of kindness,” she said. “It is high energy and empowers kids to be ‘everyday heroes’ by using kindness to include others, be respectful and make our school a better place.”

Afterward, Pollock said the students were eager to share feedback about the experience.

“We heard a lot of ‘It was so much fun,'” she said. “A lot of them said they learned a lot about being kind. They also thought Andrew, the leader, was really funny.” Pollock thanked the donors for the “amazing experience” for everyone in attendance.

“We would like to thank the Marshall Area YMCA, Pride in the Tiger Foundation, Marshall PTA, Curt and Lucy Kovash and Marshall Middle School for their generous donations,” Pollock said. “We are extremely grateful.”

The MMS seventh-graders recently attended a Youth Frontiers retreat as well. Courage was the core character value highlighted for the seventh-grade students.

Youth Frontiers’ mission is to provide schools with experiences that inspire character, civility and community. Along with Kindness and Courage, Youth Frontiers also offers one-day Respect and Wisdom retreats for students and a variety of different retreats for educators. There is also a Youth Frontiers Leadership Conference for 11th- graders.

Youth Frontiers reaches kids at critical ages and provides dynamic experiences that enhance self-awareness, empathy and connectedness. The organization has impacted more than 1.7 million students and counting.