Seven years after the tragic shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, students and staff at Hollywood Hills High School came together Friday to honor the 17 lives lost.
Through a day dedicated to friendship, kindness, and community service, the school sought to reinforce the values of compassion and giving back.
The Day of Service and Love is an annual tradition across Broward County schools, created to ensure that the memory of those who were killed or injured in Parkland remains a lasting call for change.
Hollywood Hills High School Principal Daniel Most emphasized the importance of taking time to reflect and practice kindness.
“As a community, as a county, we remember and honor those lost and injured seven years ago at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School,” Most said. “So many problems in the world come from not taking the time to show kindness and love.”
Throughout the day, students participated in various service projects, including writing letters of encouragement, helping local charities, and engaging in schoolwide discussions on empathy and respect.
Teachers led classroom conversations about the impact of small acts of kindness, and students were encouraged to perform gestures of goodwill for their peers.
“We want to make sure every year that we take the opportunity to be very intentional about having events that remind our students the importance of caring for others, doing for others,” Most added. “We never know what anybody else is going through, the weight that they’re carrying on their shoulders, and sometimes a smile, a hello, holding a door open for someone could be all the difference in the world.”
Flags at the school were lowered to half-staff in remembrance of the 14 students and three faculty members who lost their lives on Feb. 14, 2018.
At 10:17 a.m., schools across the district paused for a moment of silence, allowing students and staff to reflect on the impact of that day and the importance of fostering a culture of kindness.
Most said he hopes students will carry these lessons beyond the classroom and into their futures.
“I want to make sure that when my students graduate and go on to bigger and better things in this world, that they are equipped with the kindness, the humility, and the love for philanthropy and giving back to really be successful and kind human beings in our world,” he said.
