He was on a mission to make sure no one felt alone, left out, or without a friend at Riverton High School.
On this episode of the Supercast, find out how Riverton High Student Body President Seth Christensen managed to write and deliver a personal message to every one of his 2300 fellow students, hoping to make them feel seen, loved, and never without a friend to turn to. It was a labor of love that took Seth a year to complete, spreading smiles and happiness throughout the halls of Riverton High.
Audio Transcription
[MUSIC]Seth Christensen:
If someone writes me a letter, it means the world to me. I've saved every single letter I've gotten since I was in eighth grade. I wanted to find some way that I could make every single student here at Riverton feel loved.
Anthony Godfrey:
How many students do we have here at Riverton? Just let everybody know.
Seth Christensen:
Well, at the beginning of the year, we had 2,335.
Anthony Godfrey:
And so you've written over 2,000 cards.
Seth Christensen:
Yes.
Anthony Godfrey:
Hello and welcome to the Supercast. I'm your host, Superintendent Anthony Godfrey. He was on a mission to make sure no one felt alone, left out, or without a friend at Riverton High School. On this episode of the Supercast, find out how Riverton High student body president Seth Christensen managed to write and deliver a personal message to every one of the over 2,000 students at Riverton High, hoping to make them feel seen, loved, and never without a friend to turn to. It was a labor of love that took Seth a year to complete, spreading smiles and happiness throughout the halls of Riverton High.
Anthony Godfrey:
We are at Riverton High School today talking with the student body president. Please introduce yourself.
Seth Christensen:
Hi, yes. My name is Seth Christensen. I'm the SBO president here at Riverton and a senior this year. It's awesome.
Anthony Godfrey:
Seth, you are on the cusp of graduation. How does it feel to be this close to the end of your public education?
Seth Christensen
It is crazy. I've had many, many great memories here at Riverton. I owe Riverton so much. I owe Jordan School District so much. It's crazy to think I'm graduating, but a lot of good memories were made here and a lot of good memories are going to stay in those journals.
Anthony Godfrey:
Well, you've been an incredible leader. It's been really fun to watch, especially this year, the things that you've accomplished and the way that you've lifted your whole school. And that's why we're here today to talk about a particular project that a lot of people have taken interest in. It's the project where you wrote a card for every student in the school. Talk to us about that.
Seth Christensen:
Yeah, it's been one of the best decisions I've ever made, is taking on this project. I wanted to find some way that I could make every single student here at Riverton feel loved. I knew if I just relied on meeting and saying hi to every single person I saw, yes, it would be good and it'd be great. I do do that, but people are going to fall through the cracks, because obviously I'm not going to have a physical interaction with everyone. So these letters are the next best idea, trying to find some way to get my words of affirmation to these people.
Anthony Godfrey:
That's really incredible. How many students do we have here at Riverton? Just let everybody know.
Seth Christensen:
Well, at the beginning of the year, we had 2,335, and then we've had people join throughout the year.
Anthony Godfrey:
So you've written over 2,000 cards.
Seth Christensen:
Yes.
Anthony Godfrey:
Tell me about the process of writing those cards. How much time did that take? You have to pace yourself. And these are handwritten cards, every one of them.
Seth Christensen:
Yeah, handwritten cards. All of them are personalized. They say something different. It's been awesome, because to write a personalized letter to someone, you can't not know them. So I got a book with all the names in the entire school, all the students. Started going through it, wrote letters to those that I knew. Then once I got through the book once, I now had a list of people at the school that I didn't know. A lot of them were sophomores, so I talked to my sophomore class officers. I'm like, “hey, do you know this person? How would I get to know them? What did they like doing?” and trying to track down each individual student to try to get a personal relationship with them. And it was incredible, because as I started doing that, I just started to get people at Riverton and know them on a much deeper level than I would have before.
Anthony Godfrey:
Is it hard to get through the hallway now, because you know so many more people than you did at the start of the year? Do you need a special pass to be a little bit late to class, because there are too many people to talk to?
Seth Christensen:
I wish. That saved me a lot of makeup school. But it's awesome being able to walk in the halls and say hi to each person that's coming by. Be able to call them by name, because I think just that, being able to know someone's name, means a lot to them. It meant a lot to me. This entire project was inspired because the SBO president, when I was a freshman, knew my name. And I didn't even go to the school. I wanted to help people feel that love that he helped me feel. So that's what these letters are inspired from.
Anthony Godfrey:
Well, it's just an example of how when you do something kind for someone, it does tend to be paid forward, and it does spread. But you have really worked hard to make sure that no one is left out, and that's particularly difficult to do. Like you said, great effort saying hi to people and getting to know people, but you have to be very intentional in order to reach the people that you don't get to know just because of your grade level or classes or activities you're involved in. Being deliberate like that and intentional is just really valuable and really impressive.
Seth Christensen:
Thank you.
Anthony Godfrey:
Tell me, you said that you wanted to make sure that everyone at Riverton felt loved. Why did you feel that need?
Seth Christensen:
The students at Riverton High School are the best people I have ever met in my entire life. Truly, they are some of the most inspiring people you will ever see. You know, I've seen people go through such hardships this year, and not only do they go to school with a smile, but they're carrying a weight. My goal is to help people know that not only do I love them, but I'm here to support them. And words can only go so far, but once you have a project like this that's like, "Hey, I'm willing to put in time to write you this letter. If you have an issue, come talk to me. Let's do it." And throughout this year, I've gone to a lot of counselor appointments with different people, helping people, and it's truly been incredible because I have had experiences and opportunities that I wouldn't have had any other way if I didn't get to reach out to them first. For example, I had someone come up to me and say, "Your letter came up the perfect time." Found out that their parents were getting a divorce. And I had someone else who came up and just started crying to my arms, and their sister had died of cancer the week earlier. It's just deep. I think if I didn't do these letters, actually, I don't want to think about it. I want to keep it where it is.
Anthony Godfrey:
Well, what I love about this is that you created this opportunity. It's not even that someone said, "Hey, you should write a card to everyone in the school." And then you decided whether that was worth your time. You care about the students, every student at Riverton, and you tried to think of a way to reach out and make sure they knew that you loved them. That's pretty incredible.
Seth Christensen:
Thank you, Dr. Godfrey. And if anyone knows it's you, it's like once you get to know these people, they're pretty easy to care about. They're pretty easy to be able to look them in the eye and ask them how they're doing. It's pretty easy once you understand how truly incredible they are, how blessed we are to even know them.
Anthony Godfrey:
Well, you're exactly right. And you've heard me say it before. I get a backstage pass in Jordan District. Is that the way I like to say it? And I get to meet lots of incredible people. And they're all incredible in their own way. The more you get to know them, the better you can understand that. This is a lesson that you're going to really benefit from for the rest of your life. But every person who received a card is going to benefit from this in a big way as well. One other thing that I love about it is that you don't have anything to gain from this. It's not like you're the student body president and now you're going to run for Supreme Chancellor and this is really going to help with the votes for you to be Emperor Palpatine or anything. It's like you're finishing your time here and you wanted to make the most of your position. You wanted to make the most of your opportunities. That's probably what I admire the most is that you've been creative about making the most of your time because too many times we look back and think, oh, there's more I could have done. You're going to have lasting friendships and even acquaintances. Aren't acquaintances a wonderful thing?
Seth Christensen:
They’re awesome.
Anthony Godfrey:
Someone that you know. But maybe you don't know them deeply, but you know them and you have a connect and you've expanded that in a big way. So congratulations.
Seth Christensen:
Yeah, thank you so much. And I'll say it again. It's, it's just so easy to love them. It's so easy to care for these people because they make it easy. And it's just …. it just really is wonderful.
Anthony Godfrey:
Stay with us when we come back more with Riverton High student body president Seth Christensen.
Male Voice:
Never miss an episode of the Supercast by liking and subscribing on your favorite podcasting platform. Find transcripts for this episode and others at supercast.jordandistrict.org.
Female Voice:
In Jordan School District, we like to support students in and outside the classroom along with their families. That's where the Jordan Family Education Center comes in, offering support services and a wide variety of classes for students and their families free of charge. You can take a class called “Blues Busters” for children feeling sad or worried. “Just Breathe” is a class that helps students reduce stress. Or how about a class that supports parents in helping their children make and keep good friends. There are also support groups and free counseling, all provided by Jordan School District School psychologists and counselors. To find out how you can benefit from free family support services offered by the Jordan Family Education Center, call 801-565-7442 or visit guidance.jordandistrict.org.
Anthony Godfrey:
Now you say you have a few cards here that you haven't been able to connect with students. Let's hear some of the things that you wrote.
Seth Christensen:
Yeah, sorry if I tear up a little bit, but I can't say their names, but I'll just tell you what I wrote. I'm like, “you are so cool. I can't wait to see where you go in life and what incredible things you do. I hope you always remember that you are so loved and never forget that you are so amazing.” “I'm so glad that you have come to Riverton. You have truly entered a school of love and happiness. Never forget that you are so loved.” “You are so sick. Seriously, one of the coolest dudes. I hope that one day I can have half of the guitar skills that you have. Love you so much, man.” “I'm so grateful to go to the same school as you. You are just such a light.” “I think it's crazy we've known each other for eight years. Miss Brown knew what she was doing when she sat us next to each other on the seating chart. And it was awesome going to your 10th birthday party and being the only boy. Basically, you are incredible. Let's make some more memories.” “You are one of the funniest people I've ever met. You're going to be a stand-up comedian one day.” “You are such an exemplar to this school. You shine a light that no one can replicate. Thank you for coming to Riverton and you have truly changed so many lives.”
Seth Christensen:
Yeah, that's just a couple of them right there.
Anthony Godfrey:
That's wonderful. Tell me why you landed on cards as the way to express that caring for individuals, because handwritten cards are kind of a lost art. I write them much less than I intend to and every time it's a huge reward for me to write them. I love receiving them. But like I said, it's not as popular as it used to be by a long shot. So why did you land on this in particular?
Seth Christensen:
Yeah, of course. You know, I'm like you. If someone writes me a letter, it means the world to me. I've saved every single letter I've gotten since I was in eighth grade.
Anthony Godfrey:
Wow. I have a drawer of them in my office when I get a thank you and I keep them. I have a box of thank you’s from throughout my life. So I've kept them as well.
Seth Christensen:
Yeah, exactly. It's like a letter is something that's substantial. It's something that you can take with you throughout your life. I know whenever I'm having a hard time and I can pull out a letter that I got from my friend two years ago where it's just talking about me and it's making me feel loved. That helps.
Anthony Godfrey:
Yeah, yeah.
Seth Christensen:
That helps so much. So not only can this letter stand out because not a lot of people write physical letters anymore, but it's something that you can take with you throughout your life.
Anthony Godfrey:
So you told me that you started with the people that you knew and then you had a list of students that you didn't know that you weren't familiar with and worked from there. How long was this process from card one to finishing the last card?
Seth Christensen:
So we talked about this project as soon as school started and just kind of started working out details. Then I went to the library and asked for 2,500 copies of this card and they're like, “let's start you off with just a thousand.” And that was at the beginning of September. So that welcomed me in and we started in September and worked through it, tried to get as many as I could done before Silver Rush, our annual charity, and didn't do a lot during Silver Rush. Then once January hit, it was letters, letters, letters. It was waking up at 3 a.m. on B days and just doing letters until school. It was standing up until 3 a.m. doing letters on A days.
Anthony Godfrey:
Wow.
Seth Christensen:
And it was hard. It was probably one of the hardest things I've done, but it was by far one of the most rewarding things I've done. You know, again, the opportunities that I had to bond with people that I wouldn't have never met any other way, it was just beyond worth it.
Anthony Godfrey:
That's remarkable. You kept up with students as they moved in and out.
Seth Christensen:
Well, it's been hard, you know, because once someone moves out, it's so much harder to get to them. And frankly, we don't find, we can't find a way to really get it to them. So we have this big pile of letters of people who have either graduated early or transferred because they had to move. But moving in, it's just trying to keep track of everyone who has moved in. And, you know, I still have a stack of letters. So those people who moved in, I can write them a letter.
Anthony Godfrey:
Wow. So you're keeping up on new students as well.
Seth Christensen:
Trying my best, but yeah.
Anthony Godfrey:
Wow. Wow. You're creating the type of school spirit that's going to require a reunion every year. People are going to want to see each other every 12 months because you've created this culture. And Riverton has had a great culture for a long time, but you have doubled down on that. It's really incredible. Did you test out different types of pens to get just the right type of pen that would write smoothly and quickly?
Seth Christensen:
Absolutely. The pens that I found were the Cypress Credit Union pens. So I'm not going to say how many I took from their bank, but I will say that I went through seven pens throughout the school year.
Anthony Godfrey:
Cypress Credit Union is one of our best sponsors. So I'm actually going to call and tell her that. She's going to like hearing that.
Seth Christensen:
Don't tell them it was me who took the pens. They were just right there. It was so open.
Anthony Godfrey:
Look, you can take a lollipop or you can take a pen and I take both. So it's good. You went through seven entire pens. Like you kept the pen, depleted it of ink and then moved on to the next one.
Seth Christensen:
Well, yeah, those are the ones where it's like I know I went through the entire pens. I don't know how many I went through that were like half full or half of them are in pencil.
Anthony Godfrey:
So it's incredible. And I'm so happy to hear about this. I'm so impressed, but not surprised because this is who you are. Who you have always been.
Seth Christensen:
Thank you.
Anthony Godfrey:
You've been …. when we were at the Silver Rush assembly, you talked about writing the speech when you were in ninth grade, planning ahead in case you had that opportunity. And then you did a whole different speech. To me, what that shows is that you plan ahead, but you also are ready to meet the moment and nobody does that better. So congratulations. Well done.
Seth Christensen:
Thank you so much. And honestly, I've said it before, I'll say it again. Riverton High School is one of the best in the nation. You know, I've been truly blessed even to just go here, much less be able to represent them. I will always remember the memories I made here at Riverton High School.
Anthony Godfrey:
Well, you've made a lot of memories yourself for others. So, thank you very much for everything you've done. And we look forward to seeing you at graduation.
Seth Christensen:
Yes. See you there.
Anthony Godfrey:
Thanks for joining us on another episode of the Supercast. Remember, “Education is the most important thing you'll do today.” We'll see you out there.
(upbeat music)