It’s been a couple of weeks since the Rachel’s Challenge assembly, and for the most part, our student body has kept up the drive to remain kind and positive. Let’s not allow that to fizzle out. If we continue to start chain reactions like Rachel, our school can hopefully be an enjoyable place for everyone.

To quote an article from scientificamerican.com, “An individual’s kindness can trigger people to spread positivity in other ways.” This means that not everyone has to go to extravagant lengths to spread kindness; it looks different for each person. As the chain reaction occurs, people can use their own unique ways to show love. One person’s kindness can spur on others to act in compassion.

Speaking of compassion, we must remember that we can’t effectively show compassion to others if we don’t have it for ourselves. That sounds cheesy, I know, but it’s true. Everyone has flaws, but it’s equally as important to focus on the good parts of ourselves as focusing on the good in others.

Two examples of compassionate people in our community are Tori Williford and McKenna Hammack, who graduated from Wylie in 2016. These girls demonstrate that you can make a difference no matter how old you are. Williford and Hammack have created their own nonprofit organization. Besides serving others all over the world, they are involved in many things right here in Abilene. When asked about the importance of kindness, Williford said, “In high school, it’s so easy to be consumed and occupied with the things of the world, but deep down each and every individual knows that those things don’t truly satisfy them or make them feel like they are making a difference. What does make people feel like they’re significant, is loving people well. This could be simply encouraging someone, going out of your way to help someone, or including an individual that might be considered more of an outcast. “I love people because I’m convinced it’s my purpose.”

Many students here at Wylie believe including others is their purpose as well. Student To Student is a way to live that out. The S2S program exists to welcome new students and help them make friends. S2S member Anna Javins said, “Being ‘the new kid’ is a scary situation, and we’re here to make that experience not so intimidating.” The main goal of S2S members is to make new students feel included throughout the year.

Hopefully, these examples of kindness are motivational for Wylie students to continue starting chain reactions. Either in big ways or small ways, spreading love is important. Our school can be even better than it already is if we maintain the commitment to show kindness in our own unique ways.