By: Ella Goderis
Attending high school, a pivotal and stressful time in everyone’s lives, can often be overwhelming. There are deadlines, college applications, scholarship essays, AP classes, rocky friendships, bad break ups, money troubles and extracurriculars. In the midst of all this chaos, a simple
positive note of encouragement can completely change someone’s day and renew their motivation to keep trying their hardest in whatever endeavors they face. Random Acts of Kindness (RAK) is a club at Moline High School that actively tries to spread positivity to people’s lives. Besides just being a smiling face in
the hallway, the participators of RAK take part in special events throughout the school year as well as daily acts of kindness. For example, the entire month of November the club members are hanging up motivational posters to encourage students to keep chugging through the first semester, or at least until the upcoming Thanksgiving break. They include messages like, “Throw kindness around like confetti” and “No act of kindness is ever wasted” in hopes of adding a little optimism to everybody’s school days. Ms.Hays, one of the co-advisors of the club, said the members of the club, including herself, “want our school community to feel like [it is] a friendly place to be.”
Not only are they spreading this kindness through Moline High School, they are also spreading kindness throughout the Quad Cities area. They annually participate in the community event called the Festival of Trees. In this event, the organizers decorate and present hundreds of Christmas trees. There are
then various sponsors at this event raising money for charity organizations with intentions of helping the less fortunate during busy holiday times. With this event perfectly capturing how the kindness of strangers can help others, club members of Random Acts of Kindness felt it was a perfect place to
volunteer their time, passing on kindness to people not just at Moline High School. Student leaders Madison Beauchamp, Sabrina Starkweather, Emma Ledbetter, Tyresea Rodgers, and Mya Sargeant highly encourage all MHS students to give Random Acts of Kindness Club a try. If all the students are more positive, everyone’s academic experiences will be better, especially with the busy
times all students inevitably encounter. Contact co advisers Ms. Hays and Mrs. Henderson for more information about club meetings and how to become a part of this lively group!
