I started a #WallofGratitude at my school without knowing how it would turn out

The temperature on one of the last days of school this month was going to be in the 90s, so our Dean of the Upper School at Wyoming Seminary declared a dress-down day. Normally, students are required to give $1 donated to student government, or wear Sem gear in order to dress down, but this time the only requirement was to, as the dean stated in his email, "express your gratitude to your teachers, coaches, advisors, administrative support staff, maintenance and food service workers. For the past nine months these adults have made it possible for you to succeed and reach your potential so please take some time tomorrow to genuinely show your appreciation."

What a great idea! I wondered though, instead of students just telling teachers of their gratitude, if there was some way we could get a tangible representation. I recalled when Apple's founder Steve Jobs died a few years back, and mourning fans posted sticky notes on the glass of Apple stores across the country. I was in downtown Philadelphia the day this happened, and the image stuck with me.

Why couldn't we start a #WallofGratitude on the first floor of Sprague Hall, which is the academic building and where many of our classrooms are on Wyoming Seminary's campus? I thought it would work practically because the front hallways are marble and perfect for sticky notes. All we would need to start would be an email blast to students and a TON of stickies and markers. That evening I bought out all of Sam's Club's supply of both - and, since these are students, bags of candy to hand out as an extra incentive once notes were written.

That night I had a mini panic attack. What if no one wanted to participate? What if, as is the kiss of death in any high school, it was deemed 'uncool?' I had a back up plan - I would enlist a few teachers to require their students to fill out notes at the end of their classes - that at least would fill the wall right at the top of the stairs, and I could take a snap for social media and call it a day. The next morning I arrived an hour before the students - spread multi-colored stickies and Sharpies on a table in the hall - and waited.

The first few to arrive at 7:15 a.m. was a teacher and a few students, and while the teacher said what a great idea it was, the students seemed underwhelmed. A few more students trudged up the stairs, and in order to get their attention I said, "hey fill out a sticky and get some candy!" The candy was clearly the hook, but once a few students started writing, others came up to see what was going on. Before I knew it there was a crowd, with some students writing multiple notes of appreciation to their teachers. Faculty and staff joined in, too.

After the first hour, I returned to my office down the hall, happy that my idea wasn't a complete failure. What I didn't expect was students and faculty writing notes, and reading others' postings, all day, right up until the last class let out at 3:30 p.m. I was amazed! The best thing about the day, though, was not the social media blitz that it caused (although I was thrilled with that), but the genuine thankfulness expressed in those notes. It was the perfect ending to a successful, yet busy and stressful, year. It was a pause that allowed faculty to realize that students really value all of the hard work they put into their students, and allowed students a chance to share their appreciation. I'm already planning next year's #WallofGratitude!

Whatever your organization, profit or non, I encourage you to start your own #WallofGratitude. You'll be amazed at the results!

Here is a video overview of the day: