West Essex is fostering an atmosphere of positivity and kindness this February through the Key Club’s WE Compliment You initiative. During this month, the program aims to collect anonymous messages of positivity to send to students and staff members.
One of the program’s many goals is to send at least 2,000 uplifting messages to the students and staff. Advisor of the Key Club Amanda Fernicola, Jaclyn Carolla and vice-principals Juliann Hoebee and Kimberly Westervelt have collaborated to establish the WE Compliment You program after seeing a local high school initiate a similar program. It emphasizes the profound impact a brief message can have on someone’s day, highlighting the importance of nurturing a positive school culture and encouraging community spirit in school.
“It only takes a minute to send a message and it can change someone’s entire day,” Fernicola said. “Implementing this program helps enhance our positive school culture and foster a sense of community throughout West Essex.”
On Feb. 23 the compliments will be collected. Compliments will be gathered and distributed by special education teacher Maria Faggiani’s students from the Bridges program and sorted by homeroom. After one week of launching the Google Form, over 600 heartfelt messages had already been sent. Given the positive response, the WE Compliment You program is likely to become a recurring feature, further enhancing the school’s supportive environment.
