Local students sharing encouraging messages with Happiness Hotline

BELTON, Texas (KWTX) - Wednesday is the National Day of Volunteering, and to celebrate, some Belton ISD students are sharing encouraging messages with the community.

The district launched the Belton Early Childhood School Happiness Hotline, which plays recorded messages from the four and five-year-old students.

There are a variety of messages, whether you’re feeling a little down, sick, or just need a break. All you need to do is call the number and pick which message you’d like to hear, that includes the “Wish You Well” song.

Lyndi, one of the students at BECS, sang the song for KWTX.

“We wish you well, we wish you well, all through the day today we wish you well.”

“Because when somebody’s sick, or they don’t feel good, that’s how we sing it,” Alaina, another BECS student, said.

Courtney Brewer, assistant principal at BECS, said empathy, communication and perseverance are important traits in Belton ISD. The students begin learning about them from a young age, and this hotline is a way for them to share those messages with others.

“I think the kids have a special way of of learning this, but also sharing it with our community,” Brewer said. “I think that just builds a confidence in them that they know what persevering means. They know what empathy means, and they can share that with other people so other people can make it through their hard times as well.”

The Happiness Hotline project is part of a larger goal at Belton ISD, and that’s to focus on service learning. Chris Lemley, social studies coordinator for the district, said kids often feel like the problems of the world are too big for them to address. However, service learning shows students what they’re doing in school does matter and can impact the community.

This year, the district started the BISD Gives Back initiative to support the community, which Lemley said goes above and beyond to help the school. It’s an opportunity to allow campuses to give back with projects like the Happiness Hotline.

“When we have an opportunity for students to think about the learning that they’re currently doing, and then have an opportunity to apply that to an issue that they may see in in the broader world, that’s a win-win,” Lemley said.

The hotline is up and running now. You can call 254-677-9200 to hear the messages.

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