An elementary student in Frisco is spreading a message of kindness.

She was having a tough time at school and decided to do something about it.

Naiya Vaden was not getting along with another student last school year.



She talked to the school counselor and her mom and came up with an idea to turn it into something positive.

Inside Frisco’s Carroll Elementary school, fifth graders are working together in science class.

Many of them, including their teacher, in t-shirts that read “Let’s be friends.”

"What I want my classmates to hear, is I want them to hear that there's always kindness and that you could spread it to other people," said Naiya Vaden, student.


It's a phrase Naiya Vaden coined after she and another girl couldn’t quite get along last school year.

"I asked Naiya, 'what are you going to do if shes's in your class?' I just was really concerned about that and she was like I'm just going to say to her, 'let's be friends.' It was a humbling moment for me. because I don't know if I would have been able to say that after what she'd gone through," said Ida Vaden, mother.

The slogan stuck.

Naiya and her mom started the “let’s be friends” movement.

It started popping up on social media and caught the attention of the school counselor.

"That's the whole message, to be kind to each other, to your fellow human. Hopefully, that message carries on with them into middle school, into high school, and into life," said Laura Fix, school counselor.

Fix helped Naiya host a “let’s be friends” assembly, where students signed a pledge to be kind.

"We are going to work on those things. Letters, maybe changing seats at lunch and finding new friends at recess to play with. Finding ways to get outside of our bubble and our comfort zone and just meet new people," said Fix.

"I love it. It brings me to joy that they all agree with me on how everyone should be friends," said Vaden.

A simple message by design.

Just be nice!

Naiya wants the message to spread beyond her school.

She and her mom want to reach out to other schools to find “let’s be friends” ambassadors.