GOOD HOPE — What began as a typical homework assignment has now evolved into a group of Good Hope High School students embarking on a mission to normalize nice.

Good Hope English teacher Anita Whitlock said she didn’t put much thought into assigning her 9th grade students what she called their “passion projects.” They had been studying a few of the standout speeches from America’s history — Martin Luther King Jr.’s “I have a dream” and President John F. Kennedy’s 1961 Inaugural address — and Whitlock asked her students to put what they had learned from history’s greatest orators into practice by choosing any topic they were passionate about and sharing it with the class.

Whitlock said she was “blown away” as the students took turns at the podium where they discussed their personal experiences dealing with topics from mental health and seizure disorders, to racism, or simply dealing with the pressures of living up to the standards they felt society placed on them. What was more surprising, she said, was the reactions of her students. As the students were speaking, the class would become enthralled with each new topic and erupt into applause at each speech’s conclusion.

Despite varying backgrounds, students saw a bit of themselves in their classmates as they shared their testimonies. Whitlock said they found validation in the fact that they weren’t the only ones whose struggles made them feel isolated or disconnected from their peers, and they found that they share the universal desire to be heard. They began offering each other words of encouragement in class, listening to each other more and connecting with each other, rather than focusing on differences.

Armed with a newfound network of support, and the knowledge of just how powerful something as simple as sharing their own stories could be, they organized and founded the group Great Hope at Good Hope with the mission of promoting kindness and inclusion throughout their community, beginning at their school.

Inspired by a presentation given by former University of Alabama tailback Siran Stacy in January, the group looked to Cullman County Schools districtwide learning support specialist Karen Pinion to help develop a way to spread their message.

“They essentially say being nice is the norm and they wanted people to know they aren’t alone. They understand all of the mental health issues teenagers are facing and I think that was something that really hit home with them, that a lot of kids feel like they don’t have anybody, they don’t have a genuine friend group and that’s what they wanted to change,” Pinion said.

On Wednesday, April 26, this student movement came full-circle when members of the group stood before a gymnasium of their classmates and shared their original passion projects in its first school wide presentation.

Several of the topics were universal, such as the importance of not giving up on one’s dreams when they become difficult to accomplish, or finding a healthy balance between self-love and over-confidence, while others were much more personal.

Anna-Grace Pemberton, through witnessing her brother’s struggle with addiction, discussed the devastation drug use can cause. Pemberton said her brother began recreationally using prescription pain-killers while in high school before eventually overdosing on heroin in 2014 and has since suffered from at least five known overdoses. Pemberton said her brother’s addiction “has torn [her] family apart” and shared resources available to students who may currently be struggling with drug use.

“My mother has said she may have had two kids, but she lost one to addiction and I don’t even have a brother anymore,” Pemberton said.

Joel Jasso discussed the importance of avoiding using racist remarks, even casually among one’s friends. He likened racism to “playing with fire” with the fire representing any unknown issue a person may be struggling with such as depression, anxiety or low self-esteem.

“Other people might be suffering from mental or physical illnesses that you might not know of and you could be just putting more on their plate by humiliating them over something they aren’t able to control,” Jasso said.

Jasso, who is Hispanic, said racism can be applied to people of all ethnicities and can be equally as harmful, regardless of a person’s background.

“This speech doesn’t just apply to people of color, but to everybody. It’s crazy how racism has become to seem normal in today’s society, because it’s not normal, and I hope you will see the wrong in seeing someone hurt like that,” Jasso said.

Whitlock said this presentation may have been the first from the group, but knows it will not be the last. Kindness is infectious after all and no matter how well intentioned the efforts of more seasoned generations may be, what this group has found is the most effective voice to impact their generation is their own.

“I’ve realized teens have a lot to say, and much of what they have to say is very meaningful,” Whitlock said.