Dude. be nice handed out Chick-fil-A sandwiches as a thank you to bus drivers on Wednesday, November 10, part of the Wonderful Wednesday of Positivity. Dude. be nice, sponsored by Philip Nobblitt and Nicole Goepper, is back with the initiative to “make Fauquier a happier place,” said Goepper.
Dude. be nice was first started by Brent Camalich in 2014 and is now a mindset spread to the entire world. The official mission of dude. be nice is to “inspire people to treat themselves and others better,” from www.dudebenice.
The dude. be nice Falcon’s first course of action was sending former custodian Raymond Bumbrey away with a warm farewell ceremony that was held in the courtyard. The group has also written kind phrases on the sidewalk between the main building and the cube. There is a sheet of paper outside of Goepper’s room in the Cube where students can write more ideas on how to spread kindness.
The most recent project asked students to “write a positive message on and to attach to someone or something in the school.” The other part of the activity was to “write a thank you note to someone you know or someone you don’t” on an index card.
Dude. be nice was first introduced by the Student Council Association (SCA), and after several years, it was brought back because Goepper and Nobblitt noticed a change in student behavior.
“It’s a tough time for kids these days, especially the underclassmen, missing out on a lot of middle school stuff like that where you kinda figure yourself out,” said Nobblitt.
They were also inspired by a student wearing a dude. be nice shirt from when the SCA had implemented the program. The group has been recognized by the official dude. be nice Instagram page.
“It’s an initiative, and we say that because it’s an initiative for all of our clubs, and we want everyone to be involved,” said Goepper.
Meetings are Thursday mornings during homeroom in the cafeteria. If students are interested in attending, they are asked to get a purple pass from either Nobblitt in room 319 or Goepper in room 601.