Courtesy of Cheryl Van Laeken

Ava Hettinger

Do you need a boost in happiness? A group of fifth-graders at Milford School in Indiana has you covered! They started the “When Life Gives You Lemons, Call a 5th Grader” hotline. It will help turn your frown upside down. 

A teacher, Cheryl Van Laeken, and her students set up the phone line this past March. The students researched quotes, or sayings, from famous people and funny jokes. They worked together to choose the ones they wanted to record for the hotline. To keep it fresh, the class recorded new content every few weeks. Callers can hear advice and trivia facts too. 

“I want people to enjoy it,” says Ava Hettinger. The 11-year-old was a student in Van Laeken’s class last year. “If they’re having a bad day, they can just call and get a pep talk.” 

Van Laeken plans to keep the hotline with her new fifth-graders—with some help from last year’s students. She hopes the phone line will continue to bring people joy.