At a recent gathering in the auditorium of Elizabethtown Area Middle School, Allison Bridgeman of Elizabethtown Area Communities That Care (EACTC) asked the audience of students, parents and caregivers to raise their hand if anyone had ever helped them when they weren't expecting it and then to keep their hands up if they still remember how that made them feel. Almost every hand went up - and stayed up.

"Students, look around," Bridgeman told the group. "This is what a caring community where everyone matters looks like. Kindness makes people feel like they belong, and today, you have added 13 more people to that community."

On Dec. 12, 13 students from Elizabethtown Area Middle School and High School were recognized with Do the Right Thing Awards, presented for demonstrating kindness, bravery or leadership in their community. The awards were presented by Bridgeman and Gail Viscome of EACTC.

"We've been working in Elizabethtown since 1999 - 26 years of providing positive programs to help our students build positive life skills in collaboration with the school and in the community," Viscome told the assembly. "Do the Right Thing is a national award. This award is much deeper than grades or accomplishments. This really honors students who choose to do the right thing, when no one is watching. Whether it's showing kindness or helping a classmate or taking responsibility, these students remind us that character really matters."

Middle school students honored at the ceremony were Peter Seprinski, Gavin Glick, Cassidy Garlock and Eli Carter.

Peter stopped what he was doing to help a classmate at another table repack papers he'd accidentally spilled from his binder, a small act of kindness that a teacher recognized. Gavin found a set of expensive headphones a student had lost and returned them to their rightful owner. Cassidy was nominated by two different teachers. She noticed a fellow student in distress during lunch and alerted the teachers on cafeteria duty so the student received the help needed, and she also stepped up to help another student who was experiencing a mental health issue. Eli, also nominated by two different teachers, notified his bus driver that a student was having a seizure on the bus, keeping other students away from the scene while the driver got help.

At the high school, students honored were Zoey Seigman, Trent Kauffman, Riley Logan, Olivia McCoy, Alicia Pruitt, Mareliz Arenas, Abby Brosey, Landon Harnish and Hunter Mateer.

Zoey was recognized for befriending a new student, inviting the student to sit next to her and demonstrating kindness and positivity. Trent was honored for his kindness to the special needs students in his class, keeping them calm and explaining things to the students if they get confused or upset. Riley was recognized for arriving at school early, often holding the door for staff members and students while also engaging in positive conversation. Olivia has been an asset to the Unified PE class, helping multiple Life Skills students and demonstrating patience and encouragement.

Alicia, a student in the Advanced Health Careers program at the Lancaster County Career and Technology Center, alerted staff members that a newly admitted ICU patient had begun to seize and was losing her airway. Her quick thinking allowed the team to respond rapidly and stabilize the patient. Mareliz and Abby were honored for routinely helping a teacher in the library, giving up their study hall time to do so. Landon was recognized for consistently picking up trash in the cafeteria left behind by other students, positively interacting with adults at the school and volunteering his time for projects such as UNICEF. Hunter went out of his way to help teachers troubleshoot a non-working radio, taking time away from eating his lunch to ensure staff members could communicate effectively with each other and the school office.

Middle school principal David Beard addressed the crowd after the students received their awards.

"One of my biggest pet peeves is apathy," he said. "Every single act they talked about today is doing the opposite of apathy. These students are trying to make things better, because they know it's the right thing to do. It may be inconvenient. They might be scared. Some of the things took courage. It's really incredible to see young people doing those things. It gives me hope."

Meghan Busby, assistant principal at the high school, noted that the students make Elizabethtown a great place to live.

"The integrity that our students show, not only to do the right thing, but to do it unnoticed, to show up for each other - these are the little things that build the kind of place we all want to be," Busby said. "When we pass on that kindness, it helps everybody. Thank you for embodying the kind of citizens we'd like to live around and work with in the future."