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Gators pay it forward in honor of beloved classmate

By RHMS student Riley Busch; photos courtesy of Judi Holst

“Yes, there is a world out there and even if you decide you don’t want to meet it, it’s still going to hit you right in the face.  Believe me.  So, best you start thinking about the world now and what it means to you.”  Pay It Forward, 2000.

Almost two years ago, the world lost an amazing person.  Dalton Lambrecht, only 15 years old at the time, passed away in a tragic and unexpected four-wheeling accident.  His passing affected many, not only his family and friends.  Throughout his lifetime, Lambrecht was able to touch many people with his kind words and gestures.  He would stop to talk to people in the hallway who were lonely, he would invite people to sit with him at lunch, and he wrote many letters to his family and friends.


This year, the Rocky Heights Middle School (RHMS) eighth grade Navigator (“Gator”) team made an enormous effort to “pay it forward” in memory of Lambrecht.  When Lambrecht’s parents came in to speak with the Navigators, they explained that Pay It Forward was one of Dalton’s favorite movies.  When you “pay it forward”, you commit an act of kindness for another person, in hopes that they go to pass the kind gesture on.  There are a million different ways to do so.  You could pay someone a compliment, do a favor for them, or give them a thoughtful gift.  The possibilities are endless!  As long as you do something, it’s bettering the world.

On April 27, the Navigators participated in many activities to better the school and community.  Along with doing things like planting flowers and writing thank you cards to police officers and fire fighters, small groups within the Navigator team branched out to pay it forward to the community.  

Students Jordyn Isner, Dania Maaliki, and Skyler Robinson took on the enormous challenge of creating and organizing all of the activities for the team.  Student Kaitlyn Brown explained how her group went to the community mall and handed out flowers and nice notes.  Others gave nice notes to teachers, and some gave compliments to their fellow students in the hallway.   “It’s important to pay it forward.  Just to be nice to other people, and to do something good,” stated RHMS student and Castle Pines resident Daren Writer.


Students and teachers alike had fun while paying it forward that day.  When asked what the best part of pay it forward day was, Navigator teacher Holly Spurlin replied, “It’s two-fold.  There’s the promise of the way the kindness grows, and we’re also able to honor Dalton, and the wonderful spirit he was.”

Hopefully, people are able to learn from Lambrecht. He was an amazing person, and he knew better than anybody how important it was to pay it forward.  If someone commits an act of kindness, make sure to pass it on in the days going forward.


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