Butler County district goes viral for mental health awareness video
What’s something good that happened to you today?
This is the question students at Monroe Local Schools’ high school answered in an Instagram video that’s garnered over 3 million views as of Nov. 12 and landed the Greater Cincinnati school district in a national segment on the Today Show.
The video posted on Nov. 7 shows a microphone positioned amid the bustling halls of the Butler County school district’s high school with a paper taped to it reading “Tell us something good that happened today.”
Clips of students approaching the microphone and answering the prompt one-by-one are spliced together, sharing moments of joy like getting a compliment from a peer, making a new friend and landing a good grade on a test they were worried about.
The portrait of positivity quickly gained attention on the school’s’ Instagram page, amassing millions of views and thousands of comments and reposts. A comment that drew lots of attention with over 17,000 likes quoted one student’s clip, reading “‘There was a new girl at school today, so I think I made a new friend’ … brave & kind.”
Another popular comment read, “I love the girl that said that she’s so happy that the teachers were glad to see them. Reminds me to smile and say hi even when I’m not in the greatest mood.”
The video idea was put together with help from student group Hornets for Hope, the district’s “mental health and suicide prevention squad.” The group is an affiliate of nonprofit Erika’s Lighthouse, which provides free depression education and suicide prevention curriculum to schools across the country.
“Our students and staff have been absolutely overwhelmed by the positive response,” the district said in a statement to The Enquirer. “What began as a simple celebration of positivity and gratitude here in Monroe has grown into something that has touched the hearts of millions.”
“We are so proud of our students for reminding all of us that even the smallest moments of kindness, connection and gratitude can make a big difference. Their joy and authenticity reflect what makes our schools and community so special,” the district added.
Monroe schools’ viral video landed in the national spotlight in a television segment and article by the Today Show. The article, titled “A Hallway Mic Captured High Schoolers Sharing the Good Things in Their Lives. Their Responses Were Beautiful,” published Nov. 10, described the video as “proof that the next generation might just be more hopeful, kind and grounded than we give them credit for.”
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