Students at school generally follow the same routine every day. But, sometimes, a spur-of-the-moment decision can reverberate into a great day for all. That is exactly what happened when junior Caleb Torrance handed out free ice cream to the students in fourth period lunch. 

“It wasn’t really planned,” Torrance said. “I just got up one morning and thought it would be cool to do.” 

Junior Dion Rolle, one of the students who assisted Torrance in distributing the ice cream, says he and his lunch group just wanted to spread a little joy that afternoon.  

“[I] want[ed] to make people smile and spread that happiness we had,” Rolle said. 

Junior Martha Isley, another distributer, enjoyed watching the cafeteria brighten up after the treat.  

“I was in peer facilitation lunch, and all the special needs kids were so happy,” Isley said. “They were very excited to choose their own ice cream, and the students in the lunchroom were excited when Caleb went table to table giving out the ice cream.” 

Hope Hixson, one of the recipients from the special needs department, was overjoyed to receive the treat.  

“The ice cream made me feel happy,” Hixson said. 

Ms. Lori Wells, an educator within the special education department, was pleasantly surprised by this kindness.  

“More often than not, if ‘rumblings’ roll across the cafeteria, the cause is not usually such a positive one,” Wells said. “I would like the givers who created this moment to know that our kids who were the recipients of their kindness carried not only a residual smile with them through the rest of that day, but a happiness that came from the gratitude of the kindness of a fellow Chief.” 

Torrance hopes that his actions teach the entire student body to do the same.  

“I hope it influences people to help others out by doing a kind act once in a while,” Torrance said. 

Isley shares similar beliefs. 

 “I hope his actions will inspire other people to want to give back and make fellow students happy even if it’s not a super big gesture like his was,” Isley said. 

Rolle is especially impressed by the extent of Torrance’s generosity and wants to promote this good deed. 

“I just want to make it more known that Caleb Torrance spent about 30 dollars of his money to give out the ice cream,” Rolle said. 

Torrance, however, acknowledges that he couldn’t have done it by himself. In addition to the help of his lunch table, the cafeteria staff played an integral role in making it happen.  

“[The lunch ladies] helped out a lot, giving us a cart to push around with a bag of ice so [the ice cream] didn’t melt,” Torrance said. 

In the end, Torrance had a positive influence on the students at fourth period lunch; according to him, that’s all he really wanted.  

“I just hope [the ice cream] helped someone out who could’ve needed it,” Torrance said. “You never know when someone could need something like [this,] even as little as it was.”