RALSTON, Neb. (KMTV) - — "Kindness costs nothing, but the dividends will pay forever," Ralston Superintendent Dr. Mark Adler said.
Dr. Adler tells us, he wants students to #BeKind to everyone they encounter.
"Our schools have to be a place where kids love to come," he said.
For junior Zachary Wheatley, Ralston High School is a safe place where everyone strives to always #BeKind.
"You can show kindness anyway you can by opening the door, saying hello, helping them out with their day [or] homework anything will brighten up their day," Wheatley said.
The district's #BeKind initiative started after the loss of Dr. Adler's son, who took his own life.
Since then, the district has made it their mission to simply, #BeKind.
"I really want it to be a way of life, I believe that our interactions matter, always," Dr. Adler said.
It's a message the student ambassador also believes in.
"I'm deaf and so like I have a hard time hearing but just because you have a disability or anything you can still be kind in any way," Wheatley said.
Wheatley says he hopes his classmates understand the message, especially during National Bullying Prevention Month.
"I don't agree with bullying because I don't understand why they're bringing other people down when they should be bringing them up," Wheatley said. "When you bring them up you can make their day better, but like bullying brings them down and they don't succeed as much as they can when they're being kind."
According to Parent Advoacy for Educational Rights (or PACER), more than half of bullying situations stop when a peer intervenes on behalf of the student being bullied.
Dr. Adler tells us they teach students not to be bystanders.
"That bystander must speak up but that's when it's gonna be tough because that could be your good friend you're calling out and so the bystander's powerful," Wheatley said. "I think it's important that arm our kids with leadership and courage to say no remember we said we're not gonna do this."
Wheatley says, the simple message had made his school a better place.
"I haven't seen a lot of bullying now, so a lot of people are being happy, [and] bringing everyone together," he said. "They're able to enjoy their day."
You can learn more about National Bullying Prevention Month at, https://www.pacer.org/bullying/
