What started with a single random act of kindness towards junior Juliana Stueve, inspired the creation of a new club at school focused on promoting compassion and happiness. Stueve, the president of the Random Acts of Kindness club, said she simply wanted to spread joy on campus and have a direct impact on peers at school.

Despite the club being approved only a few weeks ago, Stueve and the other board members of the club said they already have many ideas on how to promote kindness at school. Some of the club’s first initiatives include putting posters on the bathroom mirrors with words of encouragement and handing out kind notes to students throughout the day.

“We just want to do little things that brighten people’s days to remind them that someone on campus is here for them,” Stueve said. “The little things are often what make a big difference for others.”

Junior Kaanchana Parameswaran serves as secretary of the club and said she was thrilled when Stueve first approached her with the idea of starting a club focused on promoting kindness. 

“I think that [kindness] is something that every community needs to thrive,” Parameswaran said. “It’s a driving source behind every positive thing. Having a club where students on campus can have a way to be kind to others. It’s so awesome and going to bring so much positivity to our school.” 

One of the projects the Random Acts of Kindness club has started working on has been looking into partnering with a local restaurant to fundraise for the club, help promote the restaurant, and create an inclusive community event.

“We’ve talked about doing some community outreach because kindness, especially in Mountain View extends further than just our school, so being able to take that kind of mindset and our mission out into the community with fundraising or charity work would be really awesome to do,” Parameswaran said. 

According to Stueve, the club has had a lot of interest: at the school Club Arena, the club received 82 signatures from excited students. 

“Kindness is a universally appreciated thing, and I think that really appealed to a lot of people,” Stueve said. 

Above all, Stueve and Parameswaran said they are most looking forward to reaching out directly to students and making a difference in individuals’ daily lives. 

“We really want to do something that has a direct impact… I really think that this club could bring that and it just brings tangible, immediate joy to a lot of people, both involved and receiving random acts of kindness,” Stueve said.