We all know how it works. In high school, the students who are recognized at assemblies are the ones with the highest PSAT scores. Colleges look for teenagers who are “passionate,” or “better than everyone else.” And you can land a decent job if you’re hard-working, but only if you’re a harder worker than the guy next to you is. The world only seems interested in the best athletes, the smartest students and the most talented artists.

Are we missing something?

The girl who is late to class because she stopped to help someone pick up the papers he dropped. The runner who works harder than anyone else does just by finishing the race. Where is their recognition?

My goal with this blog is to acknowledge more of those people. Each week, I’ll pick a student to write about at random from a list of everyone in the school. As a staff, we strive to cover the entire school — but with our numbers, we can never be completely successful. Hopefully this blog will make the picture a little more whole.

Maybe it’s cliché, but I certainly believe it: everyone has a story, and everyone’s story deserves to be told.