A little kindness can go a long way.

That’s a valuable lesson imparted to students within the Mars School District on Tuesday during an event that aimed to replace violence, bullying and negativity with acts of respect, compassion and kindness.

At a time of bitter political division, weekly reports of school violence and unrest around the globe, an event like this one is welcome.

The current generation of students is facing challenges that many past generations can’t even fathom. Schools around the nation frequently take part in active-shooter drills, teaching children at an early age how to respond if a person arrives on campus with the intention of harming people.

Social media is an active part of daily life for most young — and, let’s be honest, older — people. When discussing politics or differences in beliefs, Twitter or Facebook rarely act as mediums where people politely debate. Anyone from the president of the United States to your average citizen looking to let off a little steam wields their social media handle like a weapon.

And according to a poll conducted last fall by NBC News/Wall Street Journal, the only thing that most Americans can seem to agree on is the fact that they’re divided. A total of 80 percent of those polled agreed that the country is “mainly” or “totally” divided. Other recent studies indicate that this division will only get worse in years to come.

The late Nelson Mandela, former president of South Africa, once said that “people must learn to hate.” He continued that “if they can learn to hate, they can be taught to love, for love comes more naturally to the human heart than its opposite.”

We applaud the Mars School District for attempting to do the latter. During the event, students and staff were able to celebrate some of the positive activities and initiatives undertaken during the course of the school year as part of the Rachel’s Challenge campaign — a program aimed at reducing school violence, bullying and teen suicide that was named for Rachel Scott, the first student killed in the 1999 Columbine High School shooting.

Among those positive activities were the collection of items — such as pajamas, blankets and diapers — for people in need, a collaboration with the Ronald McDonald House to collect shoes and an initiative to raise money for a North Carolina elementary school that was affected by a hurricane.

But the students also posted inspirational messages throughout the school, spent time with senior citizens and gathered items for children in third-world countries.

There are various topics and subjects that people will argue that children are too young to learn. Kindness and respect for others isn’t one of them. Kudos to all involved in the Mars School District.