Shout Out Contest Results: Inspirational News Story

Every week we have a new Week in Rap Shout Out Contest and give a shout-out to the winner on Friday. This week, we asked you for inspirational news stories from your hometown.

With no further ado, here’s our winning entry:

Here at Cobbet Elementary School in Lynn, Massachusetts we are inspired by the Chain of Kindness that we add to every day. Even though this has been a stressful time in our state, we still see good deeds happening everywhere. Three years ago, our city decided to create a Chain of Kindness, based on Rachel’s Challenge, which came from a student who lost her life due to school violence. When we see something positive happen, we write it down on a slip of paper and add it to the growing chain. At the end of the school year, student from across the city of Lynn will meet up and join our chains together. Some of our recent links include donating money to a charity that will help victims of the Boston Marathon bombing, growing sunflowers to plant in our community to make it more beautiful, a student helping a friend with their classwork, having a goal of making three people smile every day, cheering up a friend that was sad, a student holding a door for custodians who were moving heavy boxes and giving our secretaries flowers to thank them for all of their hard work. We know that by doing something kind every day, it will encourage others to do the same and create a chain reaction of positive actions.

Congratulatons to Cobbet Elementary School for their inspiring submission! Of course, you can never have too many uplifting stories. We received so many wonderful submissions this week that we wanted to share some more of them with you.

• There is a girl on our team, Tiffany Sullivan, who recently had surgery to correct her scoliosis. During her six week absence from school she blogged her story via YouTube. Her blog title is, “How My Back Curved My Life.” A local news team discovered her blog and reported on her surgery, specifically focusing on her inspiration to others suffering from scoliosis. The Polar Bear team of OGMS would like to submit Tiffany as our inspiring news story. We feel that Tiffany has displayed courage throughout her ordeal and has shed light onto a disease that affects others. Tiffany wanted to make sure that others with scoliosis were, “encouraged and not alone.” (Oak Grove Middle School, NC)
• This past week an inspiration has come into my life and I would like a shout out for it. One of the students attending my school presented an anti-bully seminar to each and every religion class in the entire high school. In it, he included his past experience where he was bullied tremendously and was on the verge of suicide. Instead he stayed strong and persevered to overcome such terrible harassment and become an example for all of us to live by. He has shown us how to be better people and love one and another for who we truly are. I know his favorite thing to do during class is watch flocabulary so giving us a shout out would be our way of thanking for all that he has done for our entire school. (La Salle Academy, RI)
• Recently, in South Korea, Park Geun-hye was elected as the first woman president in our nation. It was inspiring to see that we females could also take the role only a man has been able to for the past few decades. This could very be the moment where everything changes, when people will evolve into better versions of themselves, when society accepts a larger variety of ideas. Especially because South Korea is a very traditionally minded country with a Confucian mindset, this breakthrough was amazing. I believe that this will lead to a word where there is a very small amount – if any – discrimination amongst the general public. (Seoul Foreign School, South Korea)
• In our town, Northfield, IL, our school has something called Walk and Roll to School Day. Each year everyone in our school including the teachers participate. Each student at our school has a colored shirt with our school’s name. Last year we were walking and the grey sky started to rain. Even though it was raining about 300 kids and staff walked. This day shows people that we know we can walk to school and we care. It reminds us that it is important to walk or ride our bikes to school often. It is good for the environment and good exercise. (Sunset Ridge School, IL)
• The Caroline Middle School history club, in their first year of existence, have successfully launched a campaign to recognize Korean War veterans with a Marker and monument on the site of the 38th parallel which runs right by the county’s lone high school. The students made a presentation to the Board of Supervisors, and had received the donations needed to get the project done. Groundbreaking is scheduled for July 27, with and official dedication scheduled for Veterans Day. They have really represented our school and county well, and are certainly worthy of a shout out. We are very proud of these young ladies and gentlemen. (Caroline Middle School, VA)

Thank you to everyone who entered this week! Don’t forget to enter our next Shout Out Contest for a chance to win a shout out for your school in next Friday’s Week in Rap.