HELP WANTED: High-energy student, willing to work long hours in a no-income, but emotionally rewarding job. Requires night and weekend work. Egos must be checked at the door, as this job is performed anonymously. 

While the job of running the LZ Compliments Formspring page is performed as a labor of love by the sophomore student who founded the site, the anonymous female student is actually rebuilding LZ Compliments (LZC), after Facebook shut down the account this summer saying the site had too many friends being added at once.

“Once LZC was disabled, I was so sad.  I had almost 2,500 friends and was really discouraged, thinking, ‘how am I ever supposed to build back up to that?’” LZC said. “But then I went to the [Rachel’s Challenge Assembly] and thought how much of an impact LZC could make. I was inspired to rebuild.”

Behind the scenes, LZC ignites a chain reaction of good deeds with LZHS students. The new site is close to receiving 10-15 compliments per day, with a greater number coming in right after new compliments are posted. As the administrator, the sophomore sits behind her computer with two tabs open: one for a Formspring account where the compliments are posted, and the other is the LZC Facebook fan page where she tags those receiving compliments. The whole process has been streamlined from one hour per day, to an optimistic ten minutes.

The LZC project has received over 3,600 compliments since its inception in April 2011. While some comments focus on the aesthetic beauty or how “hot” someone is, many refer to the character of another student, and those comments are the most inspiring to LZC.

One of the students impacted by the kindness of other students is Brian McGee, sophomore.

“[Receiving a compliment] makes me feel like I am not different, because I have Tourette’s Syndrome,” McGee said. “If I am having a bad day, I can go on [with my day] because of the compliments.”

One compliment that stands out for McGee said,  “Brian McGee is a super-sweet person and people don’t give him the credit he deserves.”

As a result of the kindness expressed by other students, McGee is considering sending anonymous compliments to others, which involves visiting the Lake Zurich Compliments Facebook fan page and then the Formspring link.

According to LZC, 95% of the compliments that come in are anonymous, but the administrator also wants people to know that you don’t need a Formspring account to post a compliment and is “concerned that is holding people back.”

Not only has LZ Compliments started a “chain reaction” among the student body, but also people from other schools have ‘friended’ LZC and asked if they can start a site at their school. As a result, Wauconda, Libertyville and Carmel high schools, and the Illinois Math and Science Academy have all started compliment sites based on LZC.

In regard to starting a “chain reaction” at LZHS, Mandi Burkley, junior, sees the Rachel’s Challenge assembly as a contributing factor to the success of LZC.

“The assembly stressed how important it is to treat everyone kindly; LZC is just that,” Burkley said. “The compliments posted on the site are so thoughtful. I can speak for anyone who has received a compliment when I say it made my day. When one person posts a compliment, it makes others want to go out and spread a kind word, too.”

One compliment posted anonymously said, “Mandi Burkley is flawless! She is kind and never leaves anyone out.” While Burkley did not know who sent the message, she thought it was extremely thoughtful of whoever wrote it and their generosity made her smile.

“Receiving a compliment from an anonymous person makes you think how you might have an impact on people and you might not even know it,” Burkley said. “It feels good to be reassured that someone appreciates your kindness.”

As the site continues to gain popularity with LZHS students, LZC’s sophomore administrator originally thought she would tell people who she was when she graduated, but has since decided against it.

“I don’t want to become any sort of public hero,” LZC said. “I have thought about passing LZC to an incoming freshman when I graduate, who can keep LZC running for their four years at LZHS. I just hope I can find someone with the drive and dedication.”

Until that time, LZC enjoys seeing the change in the quality of compliments coming in when someone posts a well-thought out compliment. 

One example of a genuine compliment received by Danny Neises, sophomore, and modeled by others said, “Danny Neises is the nicest boy I know. I tell him this a lot, but he needs to keep hearing it. He is the most unselfish person I know, and goes out of his way to help others when they need it. Danny, you’re amazing.”

While Neises appreciated the comment, he thinks “everybody deserves compliments like those every once in awhile. It would put a smile on their face instantly.”

While the media focuses on the problems of teen cyber bullying, there is a quiet revolution taking place among LZHS students who have seen the power inherent in a kind word and LZ Compliments.