Laguna Beach High School takes pride in its school culture, and the reason its culture is so lively, supportive, and fun is due to the emphasis on kindness within the student body. A great example of LBHS working to combat bullying and create a more inclusive space is Building Legacy. Building Legacy is organized by Jennifer Lundblad, a teacher and activities coordinator for LBHS.
Over the course of the week, many students participated in a slingshot activity. The more buckets you knock down, the more points you get. We could see many students bonding over this activity. This was the perfect way to get students to become aware of Building Legacy. Planning for this schoolwide event begins almost a year in advance, and Lundblad, along with Megan Humphreys, the student support specialist, oversees and organizes everything that goes into Building Legacy. Since the message every school year is similar to the previous one, the kickoff event and other basic ideas of the week are pretty repetitive. However, this year Lundblad wanted to expand.
“Since we were able to have Mike Smith come out and speak, we really wanted to play off of what his message was all about. So that’s how we kind of landed on the idea of focusing on legacy,” Lundblad said. Inspired by the motivational speaker’s message of putting one’s legacy over the number of likes they get, Lundblad set out to spread this idea to the student body. One way she did this was by setting out contracts for a commitment to kindness that were printed onto pictures of cellphones. This specific activity played off the idea that there is so much competition for likes on social media that most people forget about the legacy they leave behind in their community. In addition, Lundblad utilized this platform to launch the school-wide book club on Legacy vs. Likes by Mike Smith. On top of Building Legacy, this book club has helped promote the overall message of kindness and inclusivity to the student body.
“Ultimately, the program as a whole is to create an environment in which students feel included, that they feel heard and seen, and that we are treating each other the way we all want to be treated,” Lundblad said. When she decided to run this program and help coordinate and organize events such as Building Legacy, Lundblad had the goal of spreading awareness. “For me, I think irrespective of the Building Legacy label and program, for me, it’s important to help students just be better. Do better,” Lundblad said. The most important goal for Lundblad is to help the student body, whether it is through her new book club or the fun activities in the quad. If she can help at least one student grow and become a kinder person, she feels that she has done her job.
Lundblad organizes events such as Building Legacy because it is an outlet for her to improve the school culture and student body. The label and event itself are only a small part of the bigger picture and only reflect the overarching message that is constantly spread around campus: kindness. Over the course of the school year, Lundblad hopes to change the narrative around the school, with the spreading of kindness and joy.
