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Feeling a little overwhelmed? The kids at West Side Elementary School in Healdsburg, California, are here to help. Jessica Martin, a local artist who doubles as an art teacher at the tiny rural school, came up with the idea of offering free pep talks for anyone and everyone. Itâs now open to the public and so far, the âPeptoc Hotlineâ is a big hit.
Martin expected the project to lift some spirits in their community, but in less than a week, itâs gone viral and she says it's getting as many as 5-thousand calls a day. The name âPeptoc Hotlineâ came from Martinâs six-year-old son, who she asked to create a flyer to advertise the hotline. She left the creativity up to him, only telling him the name should be âPeptalk,â but he mistakenly spelled it as âPeptocâ and she loved itâs honesty and accidental reference to TikTok, so his name stuck.
If you call the Peptoc Hotline at (707) 998-8410, youâll hear positive and encouraging mantras from students at the school designed to help boost your mood during these trying times. All the recordings feature the kids, in their own voices. Options include:
- If youâre feeling âmad, frustrated or nervousâ - One childâs message says, âIf youâre frustrated, you can always go to your bedroom and punch a pillow or cry on it.â And another suggests, âIf youâre nervous, go get your wallet and spend it on ice cream and shoes.â
- For those who need âwords of encouragement and life adviceâ - One student suggests, âIf youâre feeling up high and unbalanced, think of groundhogs.â
- âPep talk from kindergartnersâ - This recording is a group of youngsters cheering in unison, âYou can do it!â and âKeep trying, donât give up!â
- And thereâs one option that leads to a five-second loop of nothing but kids laughter.