JAY – One of the changes Peaceful Warriors, a middle school civil rights team, wants to see is for students to stop picking on one another.

They would like to see more happy faces, respect for teachers and fellow students, and people treating each other with kindness.

One by one the warriors stepped to a microphone at Jay Middle School to voice their opinion to the student body and staff during an assembly Tuesday to promote “Kindness Counts.”

Members of the band Shepherd’s Pie of Franklin County, accompanied by teachers and some sixth- and seventh-graders, performed an array of songs encouraging peace in the world.

The event was one of several occurring during Red Ribbon Week to promote healthy living and staying drug-free.

Peaceful Warriors members led others in the gymnasium in a school pledge that encourages individuality, recognizing that people are different, and speaking up when someone is being treated unfairly.

After the message was delivered through music and words, children took to the floor to dance to more tunes and practice what they learned.

“It was really good,” fifth-grader Melanie Drake said after the assembly. “They played songs about how to be kind to other people.”

Ashley Morrell, another fifth-grader, agreed.

She believes students will practice acts of kindness, she said.