By Daisy Reyes—

PHS senior, Cassidy Evering had the idea that students can make a big difference by simply showing a random act of kindness and that one act of kindness, however small, can change the entire school culture. This idea was an offshoot of a summer camp activity she attended, presented by the Lindsey Meyers Teen Institute, where students saw how random acts of kindness can change people’s perspectives.

The Lindsey Meyer Teen Institute (LMTI) is a teen program of the Lindsey Meyer Memorial Foundation, a non-profit organization. Their mission is to guide young people to realize their leadership potential and become empowered to create positive changes in themselves, their schools, and their communities.

With all the stresses of the normal start of the school term, this year especially, Evering and other LMTI members wanted to show teachers and other staff just how much they are appreciated and valued by the student body. She used the imagery of the age old apple for the teacher as the perfect random act of kindness, by giving teachers apple themed gifts in their mailboxes every Thursday in September. Teachers received apples, apple juice, and applesauce.

Teachers seemed to really enjoy the kind thoughts of gratitude from students. Perhaps, these random acts of kindness were passed on from LMTI students, and then passed on to other classes, and maybe, just maybe, change the culture of PHS, making it just a little nicer.