On a bright November 24th morning, the Belmont Hill students and faculty excitedly gathered in the chapel on the final day before Thanksgiving break to hear the wise words of Mr. McAlpin. Full of joy, Mr. McAlpin preached to the chapel the benefits everyone in the world can receive if they just expressed more gratitude. He told us about teenagers who do better in school because they are more appreciative, a point that hit home for a lot of Belmont Hill students. Why would teenagers do better if they are more grateful, Mr. McAlpin prompted the chapel. The answer may come down to the fact that they are less nervous when taking a test or writing a paper if they are already grateful for everything they have instead of taking things for granted. Similarly, Mr. McAlpin said that gratitude makes us happier. If you’re sad, you may as well start appreciating other aspects of your life, because, as Mr. McAlpin said, it can only make you feel better about yourself. Another very interesting point was that people who are more grateful get more sleep, and are thus healthier. If you count your blessings before bed, rather than sheep, studies will indeed show that you are getting more sleep than the person counting the sheep before bed. The last talking point I found most interesting is that being grateful makes us less envious of other people. If you are grateful for everything you have, there is no reason for you to be envious of other people, plain and simple. Overall, Mr. McAlpin’s thanksgiving chapel speech was very heartwarming and was a great start to a Tuesday morning, and made students truly appreciate where they go to school.
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