Lancaster County School District

School Talk

I want to help:
  A lesson in kindness
   It all began as a normal day in our school. Morning car duty and then get ready for the daily announcements.
   The word of the week for our Positive Action program - Kindness.
   It was my job to emphasize that word each morning on the announcements.
   Right after the announcements, a second grade teacher came by my office.
   "Do you have a moment," she asked, and then she began to tell me the most wonderful story about Johnny.
   Before the school bell rang that Monday morning, Johnny came up to her with a large container.
   Inside was $27.25.
   "My, my, Johnny," she said, "where did you get all this money?"
   "This is my life savings," he excitedly replied. "Please give it to the sick children."
   "Do your parents know you brought all this money to school today?" was her reply. Smart teacher.
   Johnny assured her they knew. Just to make sure, she called Johnny's parents later. They did know, and they approved.
   We had started the Pennies for Patients fundraiser two weeks earlier, our very first Student Council project of the year.
   Each week, monies were collected from the classrooms. It didn't take long before I realized how much time it would take to manage all the pennies.
   And classes were getting into the spirit of competition. For you see, the class that raised the most money would receive a pizza party just for them.
   This prize alone sparked a lot of competition. Even our staff and teachers were putting their two-cents in. Pardon the pun.
   Now we were in the last week of the campaign, and it appeared we would reach our goal of $500. I was so proud of our students, but what this teacher was telling me about Johnny was bringing me to tears.
   The teacher said Johnny put it this way.    "After seeing the video about children just like me in South Carolina feeling so sick with cancer, I knew I had to do something.
   "After all, if I had cancer, hopefully somebody would help me."
   At this point, the teacher and I had huge lumps in our throats.
   Needless to say, Johnny's class collected the most money during the campaign.
   That meant pizza and a whole lot of it. But it also meant more - much, much more.
   We knew we had to do something else to recognize young Johnny for his unselfish act of kindness.
   Johnny was brought to our media center to appear on our school news program.
   As his award was presented, cheers went up throughout the school for him. The entire school applauded his efforts and sacrifice.
   Wow! What a powerful statement from children so young.
   In our world of selfishness and greed, it is such a positive thing to find someone who really cares, someone who is willing to give his life savings to help people in need.
   And to me, it says volumes about how caring and giving our children are.
   Last year, students in Lancaster County raised thousands of dollars for Pennies for Patients, and over $480,000 was raised by students in South Carolina alone.
   So when I hear people trashing our children, worrying about what kind of leaders they will make, about where our country is headed, I think about Johnny and the tens of thousands of students like him.
   And I know things are going to be okay.
By Reggie Lowery
GearUp coordinator
GearUp is a five-year,
$3 million federal grant
to encourage students
to continue their education
after high school.

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Superintendent Gene Moore
Lancaster County School District does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, age, sex, religion, immigrant status, limited English speaking status, and/or disability in admission to, access to, treatment in or employment in its programs and activities. The following staff handle inquiries regarding nondiscrimination policies: Section 504 inquiries Dr. Kathy Durbin, Student Services Director, 302 W. Dunlap St. Lancaster, SC 29720, 803-285-8439; Title IX & Title II of the ADA inquiries Gwendolyn Conner, Human Resources Director, 307 S. Catawba St., Lancaster, SC 29720, 803-286-6972.