Starting with hello makes a world of a difference for students

Madison School District is participating in National Start With Hello Week.

Start with Hello teaches students, from kindergarten through high school, the skills they need to include everyone, especially those who are feeling social isolation.

“There’s a lot of students out there who maybe eat lunch alone or alone in the hall and just starting with hello can change that person’s day and maybe even change them for a lifetime,” said Max Moore, a student council member at Madison High.

“If you don’t have friends, then you’re not happy,” Adams Elementary student Dillon Malstrom said. “If you don’t have friends, you’ll just be all alone.”

So the school district is teaching kids easy ways to include everyone.

“If you just go up to somebody and say hello, they’ll just be happy and then you’ll turn into friends,” Malstrom said.

“Today I went up to someone and just gave him a big hug. As I was walking away, they were just smiling and laughing saying I made their day,” Moore said. “You never know, one small thing can just make the whole, a world of difference .”