Heartwarming viral moment: Students’ sticky-note surprise boosts girl who doubted herself
By Pamela Comme
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VOLUSIA COUNTY, Florida (WESH) — A simple act of kindness at DeBary Elementary School is now touching hearts around the country.
Sophia Campbell was laughing through tears as she looked at her desk, completely covered in bright pink, sunshine yellow and neon green sticky notes. Each one carried a handwritten message from a classmate.
The moment, captured on video, has now been seen by millions online.
“Shining like a diamond,” Sophia read from one note. “Smiles follow you,” another said.
Just minutes earlier, the fourth grader had been struggling, worrying she wasn’t smart enough.
Her friend Ashton Miller noticed.
“I wanted to encourage her to keep reading,” Ashton said.
He shared an idea with the rest of the class: surprise Sophia by covering her desk in messages of encouragement.
The response was immediate and overwhelming.
Within minutes, classmates filled dozens of sticky notes with affirmations, compliments and reminders of her strengths. When Sophia returned to her seat, she was met with a colorful display of support.
It’s the kind of culture fourth-grade teacher Joanne Miller has intentionally built at DeBary Elementary School over the past decade through what she calls the “Kindness Squad.”
“Every Friday morning, we line the whole parent loop, and we greet all the families that come to the elementary and get them pumped up for the day,” Miller said. “It’s just what we do.”
From dancing in the car line to celebrating academic and personal victories in the classroom, encouragement is woven into daily life at the school.
In this now-viral moment, that culture was on full display.
But Miller said the most meaningful part wasn’t just Sophia’s emotional reaction.
“While I’m very excited that it made her feel special, equally important is how it made the rest of my students feel to see how their act of kindness impacted her,” she said.
For Sophia, the words from her classmates left a lasting impression.
“I felt like I was appreciated, loved, like I was smart … All the feelings that are happy,” she said.
She now has a stack of sticky notes she plans to keep, reminders of one powerful lesson learned early in life: sometimes the smallest gestures can make the biggest difference.
The viral video may have introduced millions to the moment, but in this DeBary classroom, kindness is simply part of the curriculum.
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