Since 1998, a day in November has been seen as World Kindness day: a day when we are a little nicer to those around us and a reminder that we are all just human. But recently, there has been a new twist on this fairly new tradition with the introduction of cardigans, red cardigans to be exact.

Central Hardin students and faculty participated in World Kindness day on Nov. 13 by wearing a cardigan to show homage to the iconic Fred Rogers made famous for his kind and intelligent attitude on his show Mr. Roger’s Neighborhood.      

If you have ever seen the children’s T.V. show, Mr.Roger’s Neighborhood, you would most certainly remember the iconic bright red cardigan, paired with the giving and kind attitude Mr. Rogers had towards people. He would always interact with kids in an intelligent manner whilst teaching them important ideas of being kind towards those around us. 

In today’s pop culture he is renowned as an icon for how much people love him and how much he loved people. That is why there has now been a call for people on social media to wear a cardigan on World Kindness day in honor of Mr. Rogers himself; this campaign has reached everywhere, including here at Central. 

One of the main people that pushed Central to have a cardigan day was media specialist Jessica Hundley.

“Bullying and disrespect are at an all-time high and it’s time to take a step back and remember how to be kind,” Hundley said. 

Hundley hopes that the impact of Cardigan Day encourages kind behavior at school because “evidence shows that promoting kindness among young people directly reduces bullying and disruptive behavior and helps to increase social and emotional well being.” 

Senior Ethan Haley participated in Cardigan Day, stating that he “fell in love with him (Mr.Rogers) because he is a cool guy that did natural things on T.V., such as switching to loafers.” 

Cardigan Day stretches further than just wearing a cardigan; it represents a guy who wanted the world to be a place of kindness and not hate, as well as a media specialist who just wanted people to be free of the emotional stresses that hatred causes. So the next time you wear a cardigan, remember to be kinder to those around you and that it is, in fact, a beautiful day in the neighborhood.