December 2016
How a New Club is Changing the Game
December 2016
STUDENT LIFE
KINDNESS COUNTS IN COUNTLESS WAYS
How a New Club is Changing the Game
BY AVA DUNWOODY
Janae Gooch enjoys the “ spirit of giving back ” that comes alongside the Philanthropies she participates in .
Photo Courtesy of Janea Gooch
The constant repetition of daily lives has become a part of a checklist . Going to school , paying attention , doing homework , and an abundance of other activities have become chores that are waiting to be checked off each day . These mundane tasks rapidly add up until there is no longer enough time to do them all .
There are 86,400 seconds in a day , which should be plenty of time to get everything done , and yet not enough of them are spent on the things that are not on the to-do list . Not enough time is spent genuinely interacting with each other because it doesn ’ t fit into our schedules . There are time slots for lunch and breaks where social interactions take place , but , as soon as the bell rings , that all ends .
In the midst of the non-stop movement , there are so many necessities that are being missed out . The environment of a busy place often lacks true happiness and enthusiasm because these emotions are being pushed aside to fit everything else in . Kindness is being sacrificed , and the effect of that is in need of great rescue .
Luckily , Natalie Gartman , senior , noticed this and took action . She started the Kindness Counts Club at OLu because she “ wanted to share kindness and get people around school to spread kindness to others so that we could have a better environment .” So far , the club has gained a lot of attention and a lot of members , including Janae Gooch , senior . Gooch said , “ It ’ s important because people don ' t understand how stressful high school can be and it ’ s all about grades ; it ’ s all about performance , and very few people take time to ask how someone is doing or perform a kind act .” She joined the club because she “ thought it was a good initiative and that it was a great way to give back to OLu and make people ' s lives a little bit better and spread kindness around .” She said that the goal of the club was to create a better atmosphere for people and to share that they can be loved .
The motivation is truly what makes it so special and unique . As opposed to simply creating a club to counteract bullying , this club was created to enhance the opportunity for students to be kind to one another .
Natalie Gartman , senior , is enthusiastic about the club she began because she believes “ kindness is important to feel good .”
Photo Courtesy of Natalie Gartman
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