Bullying. Whether it’s in hallways or on social media, it unfortunately is still prevalent in schools across the country. However, a group of Solon High School students has taken it upon themselves to provide a sense of positivity to counter this harsh trend. The 2017-18 school year marks the debut of the Random Acts of Kindness (RAK) club, started by four SHS students: seniors Maya Duplik, Julia Schwartz, Jessica Uguccini and junior Amanda Uguccini. The club will hold many activities and programs throughout the year to spread kindness throughout SHS.

Jessica Uguccini described a previous exchange that her sister had with another student that laid the groundwork for the club’s formation.

“Last year, my sister Elisa saw a girl in the hallway who looked like she was having a bad day,” Uguccini said. “Elisa decided to write her a note with positive thoughts to put on her locker and brighten her day. It was this random act of kindness that inspired the creation of the club.”

From hosting fundraisers to benefit the national RAK organization to organizing a Secret Santa drive come holiday season, the SHS RAK club will definitely be active on a large scale this year. However, RAK’s main focus will be on providing smaller, more intimate random acts of kindness for students. For example, during their first meeting, RAK members will be posting bits of affirmation in bathrooms around the school for all students to see. Schwartz noted that RAK will also attend numerous student-driven events, like sports games or student performances.

“[RAK] plans on going to [less attended] sports, such as tennis or swimming, to show students support,” Schwartz said. “We also plan on going to music programs such as concerts and drama productions to show music students support.”

But besides increasing student positivity on a large scale, RAK officers are motivated to carry out their activities because they can relate to students who sometimes need a boost in morale. Schwartz said that she is excited for RAK’s inception because she knows how important it is to receive kindness during a difficult time.

“Everyone has bad days, myself included, and it’s always nice for me to get some encouragement when people see I’m having a rough day,” Schwartz said. “As an officer, I’ll be able to help people who are having a tough time and make them feel happy. One of the things I Iove is when a smile forms on someone’s face because of something I did to help them.”

Jessica Uguccini said she is excited for RAK events to begin since this year’s RAK officers are providing the basis for the club’s future.

“Most clubs elect new officers every year, and those officers help the advisor in planning the same events that were planned last year,” Uguccini said. “But, because this is the first year of our club, we get to create everything. If in 10 years, RAK is still going strong, I’ll be proud to say I helped start that.”

Jennifer Buemi, who is the advisor of RAK and an English teacher at SHS, said that she wants the club to be inclusive through their acts of compassion.

“Often times kids feel like they’re just unnoticed, that people don’t really see them,” Buemi said. “We really want everyone to feel special in this building.”

Buemi also said that she believes that the club will attract many different kinds of students through its simple, yet powerful message.

“I really think that [RAK] is perfect for everyone,” Buemi said. “It’s not just one of [those clubs] that has a certain group of kids that we’re looking for. It’s just for anyone that can spread love and kindness, or that just wants to share happiness with others.”

RAK is having its first meeting after school on Thursday, Oct. 5 in room 162B, and all are welcome to attend.