By Junior Hannah Colbert

Windom Schools creates a common bond and our students take pride in the community we create. It could be that everyone knows everyone, could be how everyone is raised or even just the empathy and compassion that comes from knowing each other. Whatever the cause may be, people choose to band together for their classmates or fellow community members in times of need. There’s something about helping each other that comes with living in a small tight knit community. In this season of Thanksgiving, we are surrounded by people who offer so much support to one another. When it comes down to it, our community is always there for the people who need it. 

There are so many students in the junior class that it’s easy to not even notice whenever one student is absent. However, when a smiling face in the halls isn’t there for a little bit, people begin to notice. Heidi Hacker is one of those smiling faces. Lots of Heidi’s classmates already know that she has epilepsy, but many of them were shocked and saddened to find out that she had gone through another two seizures that resulted in hospitalization during the last week of October. Heidi’s condition has never stopped her from doing what she loves, so she participates in a number of activities such as band, choir, pop group, and both musicals. Heidi can always been seen walking through the halls or doing her best in classes. She always offers a smile when you greet her and would be more than happy to share a story or two during a conversation. 

While Heidi wasn’t at school, her classmates met and decided to send her a card to show they were rooting for her. Her musical cast sent a video of their version of the song “Lean on Me”. In addition, there were countless posts on social media telling everyone to pray for the sweet girl. All of these efforts really meant a lot to her. Heidi’s mom, Rita Hacker, even said, “when she(Heidi) was looking through her phone she made the comment that she never knew how many people cared about her. The pictures and messages mean so much!” When asked what Heidi wanted people to know about this, part of her answer was “I’m so grateful for everyone who prayed for me and showed how much they cared about me.” For Heidi, the little acts of putting a picture on social media made a big difference. The community did what they could to show their support for her and it will not go unrecognized. 

For Heidi - as in many situations in our school community - people reaching out, going out of their way just to make sure support is shown, makes a huge difference. Even the littlest gestures that don’t seem to take the biggest amounts of effort make a lasting impact. For Heidi, the community that gathered for her in that time of need, is really something to be thankful for. As Thanksgiving approaches, it’s good to have a reminder of what we have around us to be thankful for.