LIFT: independent study
-Keira Schneider

My first day at the LIFT program was very nerve racking. I walked in and didn’t recognize any faces besides Chloe. We were given a tour of the space used for LIFT and then brought into an auditorium where the presentation was held. This week was different because it was open to the public because of what happened at Smithfield High School. There were twenty other students a part of LIFT that were all very welcoming, as well as about twenty other students or parents from Smithfield. The presentation for Rachel’s Challenge began, and the room was so quiet you could hear a pin drop. Rachel’s Challenge left a lasting impression on me because of the five challenges that are given throughout the presentation. We are to

1) Look for the best in others

2) Dream big

3) Choose positive influences

4) Speak and act with kindness

5) Start your own chain reaction

In addition to these challenges, the stories told by people who personally knew Rachel Joy Scott reinforced the importance of showing compassion and kindness towards everyone. You never know what someone is going through, and your one little comment or action can create a lasting impression on the other person.

At the end of the night, all LIFT students gathered into a small room to reflect on this experience in journals. The final question they asked us was “how do you want to be remembered?” I want to make people laugh. I want to be somebody that brings joy to every person I meet. I want to have good integrity. I want to be somebody that my friends can count on and talk to. But most importantly, I just want to be remembered as kind.

Last May, after a long day of our end of year gymnastics showcase, I just wanted to grab my bag and go home. But as I walked through the locker area all I could see was trash sprawled across the floor. At first I thought, ‘Oh, the cleaners will get it, I should just go.’ But I realized that the cleaners shouldn’t be responsible for all this mess just because some girls didn’t want to clean up after themselves. So I put my bag down and picked up every piece of food and garbage that I could. Little did I know that one of my coaches saw me doing this on the security camera and thanked me the next day at practice. My friends asked me “Why didn’t you just leave? That’s the coach's job.” But the fact of the matter was that it wasn't the coach’s job. It’s our job to be responsible for our own belongings and take care of our environments. So if my five extra minutes I took to clean up put a smile on my coaches faces, then I know I did my job right. It wasn’t about getting praised for my actions, it was about doing the right thing even if no one was watching.

What I can take away from the LIFT program after just one day, is that every single thing you do can make a chain reaction. So just do your best all the time, and people will start to notice.