Small Smiles Club Brings People Together at MVHS

The Small Smiles Club at Mt. Vernon High School has been spreading joy to students and staff alike, ever since it was created during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. The club was created by junior, Abbey Maple, with the purpose of performing small acts of kindness at Mt. Vernon High School that positively impacts people’s lives. 

The group of over 20 students tries to involve the entire student body in their projects. A few of these positive projects include hosting a tailgate event and a student scavenger hunt. They have also provided teacher appreciation gifts and staff thank you cards, to name just a few. Not only does the club help bring joy to the school, but also to bring people together as a community where everyone feels welcome. 

Maple shared, “The club has given me personally more than several chances to get to know students and staff than I would have had without it. I know it does the same for others!”

One project that the club does every year is the Gratitude Wall. In this project, the club collects responses from students and staff on what they are grateful for. The responses are then written down on paper and hung up on the Gratitude Wall. This school year, responses were written on cut-out hand turkeys made of colorful paper and created a festive fall theme.

Another project that Abbey Maple says was very successful was dedicated to the teachers. For this gratitude project, Small Smiles assembled over 100 gift bags consisting of hand-decorated succulents and thank you tags for each teacher at MVHS. She says that this project accomplished the club’s goals when MVHS teachers expressed that they felt appreciated. 

Most recently, Small Smiles hosted a project where they were able to donate over $100 to the Wheeler Mission, a local organization that helps those without a home, and people in need. The club sold bracelets that read "Make someone smile today :)" and "Small Smiles MVHS" at lunch for a dollar each, and all proceeds were donated to the Wheeler Mission. Along with this, they also held a drive where they collected nonperishable items to donate to the cause. Club members say it was a huge success and they feel so grateful for the opportunity to help out in their community!

Club sponsor and teacher at MVHS, Karen Riesterer, says “Small Smiles encourages students to spread kindness throughout high school. It gives students an opportunity to be creative and know that others are rooting for them.”

In the future, The Small Smiles Club hopes to do even more projects that will deliver a positive feeling in their school. They are making a difference, one act of kindness at a time!