Isabella Line will always remember the words of her great-grandmother. \u201cCan\u2019t never did anything,\u201d she\u2019d tell Isabella, now a junior at Mill Valley High School in Shawnee, Kan. And now, Isabella is taking that advice and putting it to good use for the betterment of her school and the lives of her peers<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThat phrase reminds me that I can<\/em> do something if I just put one foot in front of the other and prioritize what has to get done first, then second and so on,\u201d said Isabella.<\/p>\n\n\n\n With her can-do attitude, Isabella is choosing to do something about a cause near to her heart: teen suicide and bullying. After a stretch of teen suicides impacted the area last year, Isabella decided to establish a new kind of spirit week at Mill Valley\u2014one aimed at shining a light on the good and positive.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Called Consider Kindness Week, the weeklong event was held in April with each of the five school days aimed at bringing hope and joy to the MVHS students. Through activities such as writing encouraging words on Post-Its and sticking them to students\u2019 lockers and allowing students to submit anonymous compliments to one another, Isabella helped to encourage the 1,300 students by letting them know their own worth and value.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI\u2019ve always been a big believer in teens building each other up rather than tearing one another down, and I\u2019ve always been a cheerleader for the underdog,\u201d said Isabella, who participates in the Mill Valley dance team, Mill Valley TV broadcasts and in the Mill Valley Outfitters organization. \u201cMy goal with Consider Kindness has been to encourage others to shine a light on the good stuff, hoping that encourages more acts of kindness so we see it repeated over and over and change the tide of our culture to be more considerate of one another and less divided.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n While the initial Consider Kindness Week was a success, Isabella hopes it is just the beginning. Creating social media accounts to promote the cause, Isabella is asking others to share acts of kindness that they see or experience by using the hashtag #considerkindness or by sending the story to @Consider_Kindness on Instagram where she can share it with followers. She also hopes to see the concept of Consider Kindness Week catch on at other schools and is willing to be a resource of information for any that are interested.<\/p>\n\n\n\n If we are teaching, expecting and modeling inclusive, kind behavior in schools at a young age, think about the impact that can have on the teens and adults growing up in our culture,\u201d said Isabella, who also plans to compete for Miss Kansas\u2019 Outstanding Teen in June. \u201cIf less children felt left out on the playground and more people considered what they wrote on social media before<\/em> they hit \u2018post,\u2019 that could have a huge impact. Could it impact the rates of violence in school or change the trajectory of teen suicide rates? I don\u2019t know. But I know that being more kind in words and actions as a society can only help and not hurt.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n For her outstanding contributions to her school and community, Isabella was chosen to be honored by Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Kansas City and Sporting KC as the Blue KC Sporting Samaritan for the month of May.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWe\u2019re pleased to honor Isabella as a Blue KC Sporting Samaritan,\u201d said Christina Lively, Christina Lively, Department Vice President, Marketing and Communications, Blue KC. \u201cWhat she\u2019s done at Mill Valley is exceptional and will have lasting value in the lives of her peers, and she is very deserving of this honor.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n Blue KC Sporting Samaritan Program<\/p> <\/div>\n Blue KC supports the Kansas City community through impactful sports partnership programs<\/h3>