Saugus High’s act of kindness sets off nationwide chain reaction

SAUGUS – When Saugus High humanities teacher Richard Lavoie returned from a class trip to Ireland last month, there was a package from California waiting for him at the high school.Inside were hats, shirts, stickers and letters from students at Saugus High School in Saugus, Calif., a town of about 40,000 an hour north of Los Angeles.The package was in response to a similar one he sent to Saugus, Calif. shortly after the Sandy Hook shooting. And while Lavoie said his initial intent was to practice more “random acts of kindness” as a New Year’s resolution, he never expected his one act set off a nationwide chain reaction.”It kind of started after the Newtown tragedy and people were expressing their gratitude toward teachers,” said Lavoie. “I even had a few friends say, ‘Hey, thank you for what you do.’ It’s too bad we wait for these things to happen. We’re always reactive when there’s a tragedy.”Lavoie said around 40 students contributed letters to the package as did several teachers, which was sent out around five months ago. Lavoie said he thought the package was lost because he never heard back. Until April. It was then he also received an email from a reporter in South Carolina, asking about the package he sent.It turns out Bill Bolde, the principal of the Saugus High School in California, a school of 2,450 students, decided to not only send a response back to Saugus, Mass. but he picked a random school to pay the act of kindness forward.”We thought it was fantastic,” said Bolde. “Mr. Lavoie’s letter to me said we would love it if you would pay it forward to another school. In the process, I shared the hand-written note cards to our faculty and staff, and we were very touched by those notes. They wanted to let our school know that they very much appreciated what we do for kids on a daily basis ?”Bolde chose Broome High School in South Carolina because they shared a mascot name: the Centurions.”We were on their regional news network on CBS and they did a broadcast of us and what we did,” said Bolde. “And then Broome High School sent it to a school in Nebraska, and they’re sending it to a school in Iowa. It’s catching on. Any kind of little thing like this random act of kindness somehow makes it easier to get through some of the difficult days. You realize people care about you. We’re doing this for all the right reasons.”Lavoie never imagined his one act would spark a cross-country response, and as he spread out the blue and white Saugus Centurions gear on a table at the high school last week, he said a common bond among teachers is likely why his “random act of kindness” caught on.”It’s really cool to know that I was a part of it,” he said. “I think teachers understand what it is to be working with kids. Most teachers find their kids are great and they love their job. But we don’t really get a lot of appreciation. I think that feeling might be, right now, across the country. So to take some time and thank other people who do the same thing that you do, I think that has some value. To know that some kids are behind it as well, adds even more value to it.”But not only did Bolde send a package back to Saugus, Mass. he also invited Lavoie and two students, Gianna Zirpolo and Gillian Lyons, to California to attend their commencement, which took place last Friday.Lavoie was to speak at the commencement too, as was Bolde, who said his speech was influenced by the package that Lavoie sent.”My speech is going to be about paying forward, that life is not about how much you can get, but how much you can give,” said Bolde. “It’s a mindset that we want our kids to leave this place with. That we can do a lot to change the world if only we wake up each day and ask how can we help others? When we do that, we really do help the world.”The week-long trip to Ireland last month was an emotional one for Lavoie and the 37 students who went. While they were away, two terrorists set off bombs at the Boston Marathon and three days later, longtime dr