Start With Hello is an organization that motivates students to greet and say hello to someone they might not know. Some students at WLMS have contributed their “hello” encounters. Now that many students have commented on their responses, here are some more “hello” responses.

 

Bradley Kagel-

 

“A few days ago, I was walking in the hallway and saw someone I thought I recognized. It was one of my friends I hadn’t seen for a long time, and I haven’t seen her since her last birthday party. It took a few seconds for her to realize that it was me, but once she realized it was me, we talked for a few seconds and then continued walking”.

 

Isabella Dominguez-

 

“When I was younger and even now I had a hard time making friends and would always wait until people came up to me, but I would pretend to be someone I’m not. So one day my now best friend came up to me 5 years ago and said just a simple “hello.” I was shy but I said it back. Then we started to say hello in class and that hello turned into a conversation and I realized that I and she were a lot alike so I could really show who I really was with her. so all I have to say is that hello changed my life”.

 

Ellie C Pavlinsky-

 

“At the start of seventh grade, I was afraid that I would not be in any classes with any of my friends however, one day I was sitting in class and I heard somebody say hello to me, it was one of my friends and the fact that they said hello made me feel a lot better about the year and my classes. Then, later on, I also formed bonds with my teachers as well and I say hello to them every day and they say hello back it makes us feel a lot better. So this proves that saying hello can make people feel a lot better and that is a reason why you should say hello too”.

 

Valeria Wohlstein-

 

“When I was in 3rd grade I didn’t really have the most friends at that time, but I was at recess and this girl that was in my class was hanging with someone else. She saw me and said hello to me and that really made me happy, and we became friends. And to this day we are best friends and she is in my class. That’s 5 years of friendship”.

 

Katheryn Barrabi-

 

“When it was the first day of 6th grade i didn’t know anyone in my science class until a girl came up to me and said hello and we started talking,we started to get closer, we sat at lunch together and learned things about each other and now im in 7th grade and she one of my best friends”.

 

Mia Callis Zapata-

 

“Last year (when I was in 6th grade), I was nervous about starting middle school. After all, it was more different than elementary school, and there would be new classes. However, I saw a girl sitting next to me at the gym and I said “Hi,” to her. We then talked about some things (we had a lot in common!), and I was happy to make my first middle school friend. I see her sometimes now, and I never regretted opening my heart to someone new. Saying hi to someone might seem common, but it really changes your day!”

 

Olivia Nifakos-

 

“On my 1st day of 8th grade, I saw my schedule and I had the chorus and so when I got to period 4 this was the chorus, I like it a lot but then like 5 days after the first day there was a code yellow and I was stuck in the chorus period so I talked to my neighbor and we talked for like an hour and she was in 7th grade and I was in 8th so this was our only class together. But now she and I are best friends”.

 

Emma Whitten-

 

¨ Last year on the first day of sixth grade I was very nervous. Until a lot of my sister’s friends were saying hello to me and that made me feel very welcomed and not so nervous anymore about going to a new school. This made me feel very happy that I am not alone on the first day of school¨.

 

Makayla Drotleff-

 

“On the first day of seventh grade when I had to go on my bus, I was kinda scared to go because I knew only 2 people on the bus and they both aren’t in the school anymore. Once I went on I sat alone, but the next day I met a girl that said hello to me and we became friends after a few days”.

 

Kaelynne Mann-

 

“One time I was in gym class and my friend and I saw a girl sitting alone so we went up and said hello to her. We exchanged our names, birthdays, phone numbers and we all became great friends. Now every day we do the game of the day together, we talk to each other. Hello can be a very powerful word and change someone’s perspective or feeling on something”.