The Plano Positivity Club (PPC), founded by senior Vinay Mehta, aims to promote kindness and positivity around campus.

    “I came up with the club because of the number of people who struggled last year with depression and suicide,” Mehta said. “Someone very close to me suffered from depression and stress, so I decided to take a stand against the negativity and stress of our everyday school experience.”

    The club meets once every two weeks, and is sponsored by anatomy and physiology teacher Nicole Parker-Beggs.

    “I chose to sponsor the club because being part of something positive and supporting change is important,” Parker-Beggs said. “I believe in the mission of the Plano Positivity Club and I consider this group of students to be instrumental in creating a positive learning culture on this campus and beyond.”

    The club participates in activities such as team building activities, community service projects, relaxation techniques, such as stress relief, and random acts of kindness.

    “I hope we can get as many members as we can to spread positivity and cheer across campus,” Mehta said. “I think it would be a good thing because not only are we spreading positivity, but we are doing random acts of kindness and community service, so we’re representing Plano positively.”

     At their latest meeting, the club members began a project to start a random act of kindness chain, where one person would perform a random act, such as holding a door open for someone, and then hand them a card stating it was a random act of kindness. The person would then perform a random act of kindness for someone else, hand them the card, and the chain would continue.

    “Joining the club is a way for students to be proactive in creating a better world,” Parker-Beggs said. “Educating and challenging one’s self to grow and become more open, more aware is key to making the world around us a better place.”

    So far, 25 students have joined PPC, although many members are continuing to join, including senior Evan Hedroe, who joined the club in the hopes of making a positive mark on the campus.

    “Especially since last year, with the increasing number of suicides that we had on campus, I feel like it’s a duty of ours to reduce that as much as possible because life is precious,” Hedroe said. “If you can leave a mark on someone so they don’t want to take their life then that’s something I want to be a part of.”

    Three students committed suicide last year, leaving an emotional mark upon administration and many students who felt that something should be done to change the commonality of suicide and mental illness.

    “The purpose of the club is to spread light, that is how we fight the darkness,” Parker-Beggs said. “If you are a difference maker, come and make a difference with Plano Positivity Club.”