Amid national debate about how to reduce violence in schools, complete with politicians and advocates loudly championing every type of solution, a few students have quietly taken action in the most human way possible. They sat down and ate lunch.
Boiling Springs High School Junior Andrew Kirby was invited to join the lunch table of four members of his high school’s student council this past week. In his mother’s Facebook post, she said that he had been sitting by himself at lunch for years. She texted him each day, asking him if he was sitting with anyone. His answer was always “no.”
This year, he had a new answer for her, although he didn’t respond until she picked him up from school. Too busy socializing with his new friends during lunch, he couldn’t wait to tell his mother about his meal-time experience when she picked him up from school at the end of the day.
“This isn’t your typical ‘First Day of School’ post. This is a SHOUT OUT to the Boiling Springs High School Student Council because today I texted Andrew at lunch (Like I often do because he normally eats alone and it breaks my heart) and he was eating alone… But as soon as he got in the car after school he said ‘Mom, I didn’t eat alone! Some student council members asked me and 3 others eating alone to come sit with them, and said we could eat with them again tomorrow too!,'” his mother Kay Kirby shared on social media with an accompanying photo of Andrew.
Kay Kirby told Fox News that “it’s been a constant over the years,” referring to Andrew’s solitary lunches. “He has sat alone and its always bothered me and my husband. I can picture him sitting by himself. Over the years, he’s had administration…staff [sit by him], but he’s never had his own peers.”
The student council members saw Andrew and others sitting alone and decided to do something about it. Student council members told the local Fox News affiliate in Spartansburg County, South Carolina that they wanted others to do the same.
Parents thank student council members for small act of kindness that made great first day back for their son https://t.co/0uRvjJQ8S8
— FOX Carolina News (@foxcarolinanews) August 21, 2018
The story was shared via local news coverage and lifted the spirits of everyone who saw it. Kay’s original post has over 14,000 likes and was shared over 4,000 times.
It may not be a huge act taken on a national stage, but what this student council is doing may be even more profound in its simplicity. They made a simple commitment to make sure that all students in their school felt included and supported.
“It’s the little things that count the most,” council member Simrin Channa told Fox Carolina. “Something that you think is simple can really mean [a lot], can change someone’s day and maybe even their school year.”
But their actions are having a ripple effect that they probably didn’t imagine when they invited Andrew to join them at lunch. South Carolina Senator Tim Scott shared a message of thanks for the students of the student council.
“I want to say thank you,” he said. “Too often in school today, we talk about bullying. We talk about negative attention towards students. You did the exact opposite. You became a hero.”
Social media users have also responded to the actions of the student council with praise and inspiration.
“Kindness begins with one simple act and the good thing is that it can in turn spread out,” one user wrote in response to Kay’s original post.
“What a great example these Student Council kids are!” another wrote. “Thank you for sharing this story & for acknowledging the compassionate hearts of these kids. I hope more kids will be inspired to their own random acts of kindness.”
While writing this article, 11 new comments have been added to just that one post on social media.
It is heartwarming to see teenagers, those known for being in a tumultuous, drama-filled period of their lives, put aside perceived differences and support each other. Way to go, students of Boiling Springs High School Student Council!
