Mystery girl's deed paid forward in Nanyang JC

SINGAPORE - Exams may be looming just around the corner, but a Nanyang Junior College (NYJC) schoolgirl took some time to show a little heart last week, surprising over 30 teachers and schoolmates with free hot drinks. And the good deed inspired her teachers to do the same for others.

Last Friday, the JC2 student left the school's hot drink stall owner $50 to give out free drinks, along with 32 handwritten notes.

The notes meant for teachers thanked them for serving in NYJC, while those for students encouraged them not to give up.

Photos of the notes were uploaded on NYJC's Facebook page on Oct 25, but the student was not looking for recognition.

The student asked the drink stall owner to maintain her anonymity. Still, her kindness did not go unappreciated.

Touched by the unexpected gesture, General Paper teacher Amy Chiew, 36, sent an e-mail to her colleagues last Saturday, inviting them to pay it forward.

The response was overwhelming. She said 33 teachers took $850 from their own pockets and, on Tuesday, divided it among the school's three drink stalls. They put up a notice in the canteen, inviting students and non-teaching staff to have a drink on them.

Ms Chiew told the Straits Times: "We wanted to show our appreciation, but we didn't know who the student was. So we decided to pay it forward.

"It's a very simple act, but it was so unique. It was inspiring to think we had a student like this. A JC2 girl who was probably busy studying for her A levels was still thinking of other people and how to brighten up their day."

By 1 pm, almost 600 students and staff had enjoyed their free drink. And students, heartened by the gesture, left Post-It notes on the wall, thanking their teachers in return.

The next day, Ms Chiew received a letter from the student through the hot drink stall owner telling the group of teachers she was happy to see her small gesture taking a life of its own.

Principal Kwek Hiok Chuang said: "She wrote each note out by hand, so it took a lot of effort and attention."

asyiqins@sph.com.sg

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