More than 2,000 North Ridgeville students are set to pack Ranger Stadium on Wednesday afternoon for a shot at the record books, all for the simple act of saying hello at the same time. The attempt caps a four-day push by North Ridgeville City Schools to get students talking, connecting, and looking out for one another.
According to cleveland.com, the district is celebrating Start with Hello Week from Oct. 5 through Oct. 8, with this year's theme set as “Every Ranger, Every Day.” The centerpiece arrives Wednesday at 2:05 p.m., when students from the North Ridgeville Academic Center, alongside select groups of North Ridgeville High School students, will gather on the field at Ranger Stadium in an attempt to set a world record for the most people saying hello simultaneously.
Every school building in the district is taking part in its own way this week, with activities designed to encourage inclusion, kindness, and friendship among students, per the same report. The goal, according to school officials, is making sure every Ranger feels valued, connected, and included.
The Counselors Behind the Push
The world-record attempt is being organized by school counselors Amy Franklin, Jordan Andrews, and Melissa O'Donnell. Franklin said the event celebrates kindness, connection, and making every person feel seen, the report notes.
Andrews added that Start with Hello Week reinforces actions that help students feel welcomed and supported. O'Donnell said the goal is to bring students together regardless of their circumstances and show that a simple hello can begin a friendship.
A National Program With Local Roots
Start with Hello Week isn't unique to North Ridgeville. Thousands of youth from Students Against Violence Everywhere Promise Clubs in K-12 schools nationwide have led similar activities designed to strengthen feelings of belonging among students, according to Sandy Hook Promise. The organization says these activities are meant to encourage empathy, address bullying, and help students feel welcome at school, pointing to data showing only slightly more than half of high school students report feeling close to people at their school.
The program teaches students three steps for preventing isolation: notice someone alone, reach out and help, and start with hello, per the organization's materials. Sandy Hook Promise Learning describes Start With Hello as designed to build a culture of kindness and belonging across elementary, middle, and high school students.
Chasing a Record, Joining a Trend
North Ridgeville's attempt joins a growing list of schools nationwide chasing feel-good world records tied to inclusion themes. In 2025, a middle school in West Bloomfield Township, Michigan, had 580 students dress as Minions in an attempt to break the world record for the most Minions in one place, a mark previously set at 419, according to WXYZ. That school's Parent Teacher Student Association donated 200 costumes so every student could take part.
Other Guinness World Records in the greeting category show just how specific these titles can get. The record for most people doing a wai greeting in pairs simultaneously stands at 262 pairs, set by Legend Siam Pattaya in Thailand in 2023, according to Guinness World Records. North Ridgeville's hello attempt is scheduled for Wednesday, when students take the field.
