OVERLAND PARK, Kan. -- Cedar Hills Elementary School was voted kindest school in the metro.

The Blue Valley District school includes life skills like manners, good citizenship and the art of "being nice" in its curriculum, along with reading, writing and arithmetic.

"In my last classroom, we wrote kind notes to each other," said fourth-grader Robbie Foley.

The nonprofit anti-violence organization Synergy Services chose Cedar Hills as the first ever recipient of the area's Kindest School award.

The school's "It's Cool To Be Kind" campaign has put a stop to bullying, administrators said, and new students quickly feel at home.

This year, Cedar Hills Elementary will help choose the metro's next Kindest School award recipient. Any school that promotes kindness in their curriculum can apply.