Students and staff at William Street School lit the hallways with glow sticks and flashlights for the Be a Light event, as they learned the power of kindness and the value of everyone’s individual contributions.

“Each of us has our own specific spark,” said Alison Camp, a sixth grade math teacher in the Lancaster Central School District who helped organize the school’s new event, held on December 21.  

The hallway lighting came after students watched a student-led video which emphasized the light that each person had inside them. The video also talked about behaviors that can build someone’s light, like helping others, and those that can dim the lights of students and their peers, like bullying. Students were also encouraged to protect their lights by building positive friendships. 

“It brings such joy to me because you can see it in their faces,” said Jacqueline Bull, the school’s principal. “They can say ‘I can be a light, and we can all support each other.’”

The video included students and staff saying “Be a Light,” in languages reflecting the school’s student body, including Ukrainian, Farsi, Italian and Hawaiian.

“I like how it showed the uniqueness of our kids, and how it was something we could honor and not hide,” Camp said.

Bull said the event came from conversations in the school’s culture committee, which was looking for school-wide events to bring students together. Bull said the message of the event, which drew attendance from members of the district’s leadership, is one that she hoped would resonate with students both in school and out in the community. 

“This is something we want to make a part of who we are,” Bull said.

Bull said the plan is to incorporate the message into future events throughout the school year.

The Be a Light video can be viewed at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fZU1KP1Pl8g.