Courtesy of @longhornloco on Instagram

Admiring their work, students take a photo after decorating the sidewalks leading into the school Sunday, March 28. Longhorn Council wrote positive phrases and messages in bathrooms throughout the school and on sidewalks to prepare for Pay it Forward Week. “I had a fun time decorating mirrors and sidewalks on Sunday,” junior Quinn Berry said. “It’s so rewarding to spread positivity and make someones day in unexpected ways.”

Positive phrases written in colorful lettering adorn the mirrors of the bathrooms and sidewalks outside of school in honor of the annual Pay it Forward Week. The week, planned by Longhorn Council, promotes positivity and community service among students and staff by encouraging everyone to reciprocate acts of kindness.

One of Longhorn Council’s many goals for the week was to help students feel less stressed about their upcoming finals.

“Pay it Forward Week is about embracing your school community, helping other people and doing fun activities that make your day a little bit better,” junior Quinn Berry said. “This week is at the end of the school year when everyone is stressed about finals and AP tests. It’s all about showing how appreciated and loved we all are.”

In light of the growing trend of individuals and businesses becoming more environmentally conscious, Longhorn Council handed out reusable straws and encouraged students and staff to carpool to and from school.

“We thought about how recently people have been realizing that we need to help the earth, so we thought that a good way do that would be by reducing trash by using reusable straws,” freshman Paige Wehrmeister said. “I feel like people have become a lot more environmentally aware. For example, on Wednesday a lot of people saw the signs that we made encouraging carpooling and I saw a lot of people using reusable straws.”

Senior Bella Hatzigeorgiou is grateful for the attention that Pay it Forward Week has received, considering that Parkway Food Policy no longer allows Longhorn Council to pass out candy and treats.

“It was hard to come up with ideas because of the food policy. Last year we handed out candy or donuts, but this year we can’t do that, so we had to be creative,” Hatzigeorgiou said. “A lot of people take pictures of the phrases in the bathroom. I don’t know if they’re making fun of it or not, but even if they are, any kind of exposure to it is good exposure because people will see the positive message we’re trying to put out.”

Longhorn Council hopes to continue to spread the positivity of Pay it Forward Week not only this week but throughout the year.

“It’s great to make an impact on people even if it’s in small ways,” Berry said. “People get on board with it because it makes people happy. It helps people to recognize that the small things they do, like carpooling and using reusable straws, is good for the community and the environment. The week helps recognize all the good that we do in our community to help each other and help this place.”