During the week of Sep. 23 to 27, schools and youth organizations across the country participated in Start With Hello Week, a program started by the Sandy Hook Promise Organization in efforts to promote inclusion and prevent social isolation.
According to the organization’s website, “This program teaches students to make a difference with their peers in a simple, fun, and impactful way.”
At Pine View, the senior-class officers were in charge of organizing the events for the week. Senior Class President Dominic Marhoefer oversaw the signing of the banner on Thursday.
“I really loved seeing everyone write down things that made everyone happy. That was probably my favorite part,” Marhoefer said.
Here’s a rundown of the week’s activities:
- Monday: During “Hey Day,” students were encouraged to greet someone new and start a conversation. As part of the activity “Smile Day,” students wrote statements about others that make them smile on green and white strips of paper; these strips were strung together to make a chain that was hung in the Media Center until the end of September.
- Tuesday: On “Compliment Day,” students were encouraged to compliment someone they have never complimented before. Clubs set up information tables in the quad during seventh period for the “Club Meet and Greet.”
- Wednesday: Students were encouraged to do random acts of kindness such as pulling out a chair for someone, listening to others’ thoughts, and assisting with an assignment on “Random Acts of Kindness Day.”
- Thursday: Twelfth-graders handed out green lifesavers during “Be a LifeSaver Day;” teachers emphasized the importance that one person can have on another, and students signed a banner that was hung in the front window of the office.
- Friday: On “Wear Green Day,” students and teachers wore green and took a group photo in the quad.
Video footage and editing provided by Blue and Gold Broadcasting students: Frankie Grasso-Clay, Nora Malave and Anna Guentner.
Featured image provided by Anna Labiner.