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Students give back in memory of classmate who died in ATV accident

Posted at 9:41 AM, May 19, 2017
and last updated 2018-07-24 21:30:49-04

Nearly 400 students at McGregor High School participated in a day of service in memory of a student who passed away in 2015.

Rhett Hering,15, died after he was involved in an ATV accident

Last year, the school district started a day of service in his honor. This year, they went to 44 sites to give back to the community. Some of the projects students worked on, included painting people's homes, washing cars and clearing out debris for city officials to build a disc golf course at a park.

High School Principal Robert White said the day of service was an opportunity to give back and honor Hering. 

"Looking at Rhett's life, he was a generous young man. He was loving and kind. We thought putting those two together would be a way to honor Rhett but more importantly make it bigger than Rhett, make it bigger than anyone person, we wanted to make it about changing the world," White said.

Hering's legacy of kindness started what the students and school refers to as the revolution. The day of service started with an assembly at the auditorium. During it, his mother, Lorna Hering, encouraged students not only on Friday, but every day.

"A revolution to go change the world and serve people with love and happiness and that little bit attached to Rhett means a lot to us," Hering said. "It's a way that we know that he is not only alive in our hearts, but he is still alive in the hearts of this community."

That legacy is alive with those participating in the day of service like Junior Kennedy Hogan.

"I think it means you need to do the best you can do and you need to do as much as you can in this day that you have to help other people because that's what he wanted," Hogan said.

Hering said she hopes that the day of service continues in the years to come.

"Fifteen and a half years wasn't enough, but if they keep his legacy alive and they keep remembering him, then maybe 15 and half years can turn into a longer time," Hering said.

Rhett's father, who is also the mayor of McGregor, was with Hering and their children at the assembly held at the high school before students left for volunteering.

The McGregor Chamber of Commerce also presented the first lifetime legacy award to the Hering family. 

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