If you’ve walked through the doors of FHS before 7:35 in the morning, chances are you’ve met Leo Hughes. Since his freshman year, Leo has been a consistent presence at the main entrance, holding open the door for students and staff to enter the building. He even uses his backpack to hold open an extra set of doors and ensure maximum convenience for students.

To find out about the student who has been so committed to this random act of kindness while the rest of the school is still experiencing the morning grumpies, we talked to Leo about himself and his motivations. 

Q: Can you speak about yourself a little bit- for example, what are your hobbies and what are you most interested in school?

A:  In school, my favorite classes have always changed from year to year, but they’re usually the ones with the best teachers. Teachers can either make me love or dread a class, no matter what I usually think of the subject. The only exception to this is Spanish, which I’ve always liked. 

Outside of school, I’ve always had an interest in art. It’s the best way for me to get my ideas out, especially when I have a lot of them building up at once. This also means I get a lot of practice, meaning I’m always improving, meaning it keeps getting easier to get my ideas out. It unfortunately isn’t the most useful skill in most situations, but liking art has never hurt anyone. 

Other than that, there’s not much to say. There isn’t usually much going on in my life, but it feels like it’s gotten a lot more interesting recently. Hopefully this means more things to look forward to. 

Q: When did you start holding the door open each day? Was it freshman year?

A: I started holding the door early freshman year. It’s been so long since then that it’s kind of hard for me to remember what the first few pre-door days were like. All I can remember is just standing around in the library a few times, waiting for something to happen. I did a lot of standing around back then. 

Q: Do you enjoy the experience of holding the door open, or is it something you do because you feel obligated?

A: I enjoy the experience of holding the door, but mainly because of how it helps others. Standing in place for half an hour isn’t really that entertaining on its own, but getting to see people’s faces light up while walking through the entrance definitely is. 

Q: Do you think that your act of kindness by holding open the door in the mornings has made an impact on students?

A: Based on what people have said to me, yes. Any time me holding the doors gets brought up in a conversation, they always talk really appreciatively, and like it’s something they always look forward to, or, in rarer cases, just outright talk about me like I’m some sort of god. I’ve never really understood what about it makes such a big impact, but that’s never been a reason to stop. As long as I’m helping, I’ll keep doing it.

Q: What lesson would you like students to take away or learn from your example of kindness?

A: Hopefully, people will realize how little effort it takes to be helpful, and start building a better environment for everyone to live and grow in. FHS could definitely use it. We have a lot of less than kind people here, particularly the ones who commit hate crimes.

As Leo will be graduating in the spring, students won’t be seeing his face next fall. However, his kind act has impacted the halls of FHS, and we hope it has inspired other students to spread the love.