Spreading joy in little ways
Spreading a little bit of joy can be done in many ways.
This past Valentine's Day Forsan Junior High and High School students put their creativity to work in hopes of spreading some joy to local nursing home and assisted living facility residents.
“Being able to have our students give back to the community not only allowed them to use their creativity in a common goal, but it also opened an opportunity for them to see what kind of impact they can make,” Amanda Duforat, Journalism/yearbook Advisor, said. “This was a way to help the students see that no matter your age you can make an impact on someone.”
Valentine cards were created by junior high students – 6th grade and 7th grade – as well as high school students. The journalism/ yearbook students, Principals of Arts, freshman, and seniors helped create the unique cards.
“The creativity that was shown while these students made these cards was a breath of fresh air. There are those who created intricate designs and others wrote some clever sayings or poems, regardless of the design, it was obvious that each of these cards was made with love and a truly caring heart,” she said.
More than 300 Valentine cards were delivered to Marcy Place, West Texas VA Health Care System for the domiciliary and CLC residents, Lamun Lusk Sanchez Texas State Veterans Home, Parkplace and Parkview facilities. Each facility delivered the cards as part of their festivities and in their own way.
While students joined forces to spread Valentine cheer in the community, the Forsan Student Council was making sure all of the students had a special treat when they stopped by their lockers.
“Little reminders can really make a big impact on someone's day. It's important that we take the time to spread kindness when we can, even if it's something as small as a card and a candy,” Hilary Thompson, Student Council president, said.
Leading up to Valentine's Day student council members created a special wall of recognition with all the names of high school students and a simple message reminding students they matter. The morning of Valentine's Day, students received a special Valentine's Day note and a sweet treat taped to their locker.
“We have been thinking of more ways to be active with the whole school and Valentine's provided the perfect opportunity for us to follow through with our vision,” Thompson said. “It was nice to see the impact we made on so many students. It helped remind us that there is no small act and the littlest thing can really change a person's entire day.”
According to Haley Lefever, Student Council Advisor, student council members have been thinking of new ways to reach out to their peers and encourage other students to find out more about student council.
“The officers this year are really passionate about giving back to our school, our students and our community. They've been coming up with all kinds of ways to give back,” Lefever said. “In addition to the outreach they have already done, they still have a few more ideas up their sleeve.”
Lefever continued, “We're also trying to encourage more students to get involved so we're trying to make efforts to get our name out there.”