Between Oct. 31 and Nov. 1, more than 70 students logged onto Twitter to find the connect button illuminated by a tweet from the account KHSKindness. Now inactive with the account, the creator, who asked to remain anonymous, gave compliments unique to each recipient.

“There’s always the accounts that are super mean to everyone, and I felt there needed to be something that said nice things to people genuinely,” KHSKindness said. “Kirkwood’s been lacking there for a while, and I felt if I was complaining about it, I should do something about it.”

Unlike other motivational Twitter accounts, KHSKindness claims to be different by focusing on individuals specifically, rather than addressing all followers generically.

“People can tweet inspirational posts all they want, and people do like those, but taking the time to talk about individual people about the awesome things they do really makes people feel good,” KHSKindness said.

As for identity, the owner of the account said she wanted to keep her identity a secret so the compliments “really sank in.”

“I did it anonymously because I didn’t want people thanking me for the things I said. I think when people start hearing these nice things, then they will start to appreciate [the good qualities] in other people,” KHSKindness said. “I don’t think it should be that out of the ordinary for people to notice the good qualities of their peers.”

As for revealing the account owner’s identity, The Kirkwood Call is allowed to disclose the account was created and run by a senior female student.

“A lot of people thought I was Wade or Gavin, and it’s upsetting to think that people think a student can’t acknowledge how others are,” KHSKindness said.

The account was closed the day after it was opened and had gained a following of 279 students.

“I stopped because of pressure. I was getting direct messages saying to compliment specific people, saying they felt left out. I didn’t want anyone to feel left out, and I don’t want to say something about everybody if it’s not genuine,” KHSKindness said. “I don’t know everyone at KHS, and if it’s not heartfelt, it isn’t special to me or to them either.”

The creator said she does not think other accounts need to be opened with a similar purpose, but wants the experience to have a lasting effect on the students of KHS.

“I hope that everyone will realize how great they are and how great everyone around them is,” KHSKindness said. “If one person is able to stop and say something to somebody about how good they are as a person, then I think it was totally worth it.”