The second annual Everybody Loves Everybody (ELE) week kicked off Monday, an event organized by Leadership that strived to promote kindness within the student body
The Leadership class organized activities for the students to participate in throughout the week, such as the compliment wall that spanned the front hallway, a welcoming red carpet walk on Tuesday morning, and lunch time yoga and frisbee on the south lawn.
“The compliment wall, everybody liked that from last year, the hershey’s kisses welcome was improvised because we were supposed to hand out bracelets but they didn’t get here in time,” said junior Lucas Sam, a Leadership student.
Guest speaker Matt Bellace, who spoke about natural highs on Thursday was the highlight of the week for many, including junior and Leadership student Lily Barber.
“He used a lot of funny anecdotes in his speech, which were effective because they were relatable so it got everybody’s attention, but they also had a lot of meaning to them,” Barber said. “A lot of times in high school people are like ‘let’s just drink anyways’ but I feel like he actually did persuade a few people to change their ways.”
Sticky notes with words of encouragement were artfully displayed in the girls bathrooms, reminiscent of the the anonymous initiative two years ago to post “you’re beautiful” sticky notes around the school.
“It really caught people’s attention because everybody looks in the mirrors and I think it was a positive way to start your day,” Barber, a Leadership student said.
According to junior class president Erin Gray, Leadership thought Bellace would be a unique speaker from previous years.
“We were starting to run out of time and the PTA had already proposed a speaker who we decided not to go with because they were very similar to what we had two years ago,” Gray said.
Barber added that the Leadership class watched videos of multiple speakers and chose Bellace from the group.
“Nobody else utilized humor, actual fact, and personal experiences the way he did,” she said.
Leadership plans to host a third ELE week next year, as the previous two were considered successful.
“[The goal of ELE week is] to inspire a more supportive community for everyone and a more safe environment for students to feel better,” Gray said.
