One second grade class in Viterbo, Italy, has decided to improve their city. Over the last few years, they’ve been in regular contact with their mayor, who has dubbed them junior “Knights” and “Ladies” of Viterbo in recognition of their commitment to their community.

The mayor had personally responded to their first letter, which requested more recycling containers. “I will re-read your letters whenever the problems at work put me in a bad mood,” he said. “I’m sure you will put a smile on my face and warm my heart again, as you have done on this occasion.” Soon the containers appeared all over the city.

Later, their ideas to improve an historic park touched him so deeply that he came to visit their class and hear them first-hand. The park, called Valle Faul, pulsed with life in the Middle Ages, but was now like a deserted hole in the center of the city. Some of the children suggested setting up places that fixed broken toys or where children could get free ice cream one day a week. Others thought of theaters for children’s productions and a fountain where tourists throw in a coin for the poor.

Struck by their purity of heart, the mayor stated that their new ideas matched some of the plans the city’s administration hoped to see fulfilled. The fountain was built and the name of the school was etched above it as a reminder of the group that put it there.

The students have been trying to live the Golden Rule themselves, writing e-mails to other classes in Brazil and Argentina. From Argentina, they learned that many children who live near the foothills of the Andes mountains can’t afford to go to school. The class decided to adopt some of them “at a distance” to help them continue their education.

The mayor also granted the children’s request to rename the park from the Valle Faul to the Valle della Regola D’Oro (Valley of the Golden Rule).