Kris Miller
Hiawatha World

Four Hiawatha Middle School staff members walked through the school halls being greeted and cheered on by Hiawatha Middle School students on each side, all while Pharrell Williams’ “Happy” played in the loudspeakers. These four people walked into the HMS gymnasium with a crowd that delivering immense applause.

These four staff members–Jim Rupe, Matthew Lock, Tim White and Stacy Collins–were recognized as recipients of the Dude, Be Nice program. These four individuals were recognized for their kindness and involvement at not only just at HMS but also the community as a whole. Each recipient also had their own individual tribute videos made for them which highlighted their kindness and positive actions.

There were also rallying cheers of “Dude, Be Nice!” throughout the whole ceremony, which heightened the positive atmosphere and highlighting the four award recipients’ good deeds towards HMS and the community.

The recipients received gifts that were paid by Citizens State Bank and Trust and from Tom and Donna Schmitz.

White expressed how good it felt to be recognized.

“Just happy to be selected,” White said. “It was neat that the kids thought of us that we were kind people!”

Readers can learn more about the program by visiting https://www.dudebenice.com/.