Student spreads Tweets of kindness

Cassie Cowperthwaite of Lake Villa is a senior at Grayslake North High School, a familiar face to many, but it didn’t start out that way for the 18-year-old who still can recall the nerves she had leaving junior high.

“I was really scared as an underclassman,” Cowperthwaite said. “I was lucky to have a core group of friends who entered high school with me, but I was nervous about trying out for competitive dance. I was a little timid.”

Cowperthwaite put her nerves aside to try out for the Grayslake North dance and softball teams, which she competed with all four years of high school. She also joined several clubs, such as Snowball (anti-bully and anti-drug), Ink Crew (high school transitioning), SIMS (Students Involved in Mentoring Students), and the math team, where Cowperthwaite traveled to state-level competition twice.

Despite her sudden busy period, Cowperthwaite was determined to create a “chain reaction” Twitter account that would connect all walks of life – students and staff – at Grayslake North.

Cowperthwaite recalled Rachel's Challenge, a nonprofit organization created in the wake of the Columbine tragedy of 1999. The challenge was to start a chain reaction in schools to create a safe environment, she said.

In August 2012, Cowperthwaite’s mother showed her a news article about a school in Osseo, Minn., that created a Twitter account to recognize positive happenings in the school. Cowperthwaite said she was eager to show her own peers how kindness can go a long way, but she didn’t know quite where to start.

Creating the @GNHSNiceThings Twitter profile, and dedicating it to “the positive people and things happening at Grayslake North,” Cowperthwaite soon consulted the school’s administrative staff for help.

“[Grayslake North staff] helped me promote a school-wide video and then a bunch of followers began flooding my account,” Cowperthwaite said, adding her goal was to remain anonymous so people wouldn’t be shy about sending Tweets.

Cowperthwaite said she soon learned people actually wanted to know who was behind the account so that they knew it was someone they could trust.

Acting as a moderator and traffic control center, Cowperthwaite would receive up to a dozen messages each day. Some were inspirational quotes or compliments to students and staff. Others were fundraiser announcements or a congratulations to athletes and clubs. Cowperthwaite screened each private message and reposted it on the main Twitter page. Followers still didn’t know who had originally sent each message, but they did begin to learn Cowperthwaite operated the account, she said.

“It was a great way for me to meet seniors who were about to graduate,” Cowperthwaite said. “Growing older, I began to reach out to some of my younger sister’s friends or people I would notice in the hallway. I tried to reach out to the people who weren’t noticed often. My goal since the beginning has always been to make everyone feel recognized at least once. I don’t know how to calculate if I did that, but I hope I have.”

The Twitter account still stands with more than 1,000 followers and about 3,600 Tweets sent. Cowperthwaite’s public service teacher, Emily Weiss, said those numbers are “pretty amazing for a school that has only 1,500 students.”

Weiss said Cowperthwaite can’t help but spread positivity. “She [Cowperthwaite] has such a genuine love for life,” Weiss said. “She’s so genuinely positive and it’s contagious.”

Weiss said she’s especially proud of Cowperthwaite for reaching out to students who appear to be “isolated or going through a difficult time.”

Cowperthwaite, the oldest of two siblings, plans to pass the Twitter account on to her sophomore sister, Cammy, when she graduates this spring. Cowperthwaite said she has been training Cammy and they both already have access to the account.

“Cammy has one of the biggest hearts,” Cowperthwaite said. “She’s the most selfless person I know. I’ve tried to show her that no one is perfectly happy all the time, but everyone should try to make the best of every situation. I know she’ll do great.”

Looking ahead, Cowperthwaite already has a lot planned for college. She will attend Loyola this fall and major in secondary education to teach math. Cowperthwaite wants to be a high school teacher and has already had much practice mentoring an autistic peer and bilingual Avon Center School students in Round Lake, she explained.

Weiss nominated Cowperthwaite for a Golden Apple scholarship this year. The state-wide program identifies talented high school seniors who have the promise and drive to be excellent teachers in high-need schools. Cowperthwaite said she is a finalist and should hear if she has been selected by April, adding she has already written four essays and attended a formal interview in Chicago.

If selected as a Golden Apple Scholar, Cowperthwaite will spend her next four summers in teaching camps at various colleges throughout the state. She also would have the opportunity to work with children in the Chicago Public School District.

“Coming into high school, I never really knew I wanted to teach at the high school level,” Cowperthwaite said. “Now I see how much of an impact high school teachers have on students’ lives. They teach more than their subjects ... They teach life lessons. I know kids will listen to me and I can help them with their college decisions. Plus, I have a natural love for math and I want to give everyone the self esteem to succeed in math.”

Cowperthwaite said she wants to bring the teaching profession “back to what it used to be” by incorporating “life skills, self awareness and a positive atmosphere” into her classroom.

“Everyone wants the same thing in life, to succeed, and the only barrier to themselves and others is judgment,” Cowperthwaite said.