Smiling new faces opened the second full week of school on Aug. 30. Students waltzed in with floral prints on clothing items as student council members, like freshman Linzi Martin, welcomed them into the building.
“When I started doing Hello Beautiful Week it was a perfect way to help and bring people’s attention to that major problem in our society,” Martin said.
Beautiful Week, created by Drugs, Alcohol, Safety Committee Committee (DASH) chairman Annalise Vinson, is the week that encourages being who you are. Wanting to keep this event and abiding by district rules to have a set welcome week, StuCo combined the two to create Hello Beautiful Week.
“I wanted to bring those projects over here,” Martin said. “The one I loved doing was hello beautiful week mainly because I just felt like the main problem that we teenagers struggle with the most is what we think of outer appearance and thinking that’s all that matters rather than our inner beauty.”
Martin created the event to raise awareness of the lack of self-confidence students and teachers can have. With every seven out of 10 girls believing they are not worthy enough and 38% of teenage boys using supplements to improve their physique, there is an opportunity to help.
“Before I started doing this project I always wanted to do something to fix this problem because I felt as if people shouldn’t bring themselves down,” Martin said, “especially for that [being themselves].”
StuCo planned the week two months prior to school opening. Martin made sure to keep the days simple by choosing spirit wears everyone had the potential to have in their closet. But she intentionally created the days with a goal to encompass a message that correlated with each spirit day such as Neon Day being the time to brighten someone else’s day. Along with dressing up, StuCo Adviser Kenna Canvar worked with Martin to give away different items each day to help put students and teachers in the right mindset.
“I really do [like this week],” Canvar said. “Everyone seems to be happy. A little joyous in fact.”
Students received special items from the StuCo store every day, like stickers and a dance party at lunch. For faculty, they all received a paper flower with a name and number on the back. The name correlated with another teacher from a department that they needed to meet and take a selfie with to be placed in the raffle for a year’s worth of free StuCo shirts. The number symbolized the chance to win a free Sonic drink if their name was called. Beneficial to each of their own, but with a goal to encourage staff to get out and connect once again with other teachers.
“It makes me happy,” Cavnar said. “It makes me happy that my students want to give things away. That they want to connect with each other, they want to provide a safe place and so I’m very excited about this.”
With a week full of color and prizes, it also became a time to help students and staff members feel better about themselves. By preparing the week’s events, Martin hoped that staff and students would understand the importance of connecting with one another and building a confidence foundation for those who need it.
“I love this week,” Martin said. “From the beginning, I was always wanting to do something about this problem and this week has allowed me to have an opportunity to show people my thoughts about the situation and help them notice what we struggle with in this day and age.”
