Girls' High fills with feel-good factor

Rotorua Girls' High School Year 13 students with The Chain of Positivity.

A day of positivity and good vibes unfolded at Rotorua Girls' High School recently.

Prefects were stationed on the school gates from as early as 8am and greeted every student as they arrived by giving them a sticker featuring various quirky compliments including "I like you more than pizza" and "you're like sunshine on a rainy day", accompanied by a colourful illustration.

Seeing the responses from the girls receiving compliments was amazing. It was so rewarding to see their smiles.

Throughout the day, stickers were seen on exercise books and phone cases. Students took photos of stickers, and groups could be heard discussing their favourite compliments. At lunchtime, the prefects ran an activity in the courtyard called The Chain of Positivity.

Students were invited to use strips of paper in their house colour and write something positive, such as a quote or a compliment.

Teachers and prefects spent lunchtime looping each of the strips together to create a giant paper chain and it was heartening to see so many beautiful comments.

Some students spent their entire lunchtime writing compliment after compliment. Everyone was buzzing - there were so many positive vibes that united the school.

The chain ended up containing 495 positive comments, and will be hung in the school's Performing Arts Centre.

Sticks'n Stones, a youth-led nationwide movement aimed at making life more positive for young people, was the inspiration for the day.

- Submitted by Rotorua Girls' High School deputy head girl Chantelle Cobby