After seeing 3 Musketeers’ #ThrowShine ad campaign, two West Springfield High School students were inspired to create their own movement encouraging positivity at the school.
The original 3 Musketeers ad, which debuted last year, followed a student who wants to give one of the signature candy bars bearing the message “You are awesome” to a new girl at school. Eventually, he’s able to pass the candy bar from student to student until it reaches her. The ad culminates with her returning the favor, taping the candy bar with the addendum “You are awesome too” to his locker (see it in full below).
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XnlTzTzfMy4
WSHS students Rodney Wrice and Audrey Wever decided to launch a similar pay-it-forward campaign that ended up spreading like wildfire through the school’s student body of 2,400 and catching the attention of the candy bar brand.
This past school year, Wrice and Wever anonymously placed 3 Musketeers bars with positive messages on student lockers. Classmates were so moved by the gesture that they continued the movement. Soon, recipients were sharing pictures of their positive candy bar messages on social media, using the hashtag #ThrowShine. West Springfield students even started their own Twitter account for their school-specific #ThrowShine movement.
“Seeing all the negativity in social media and in the school inspired me to make a change,” says Wever, who’s now a senior at WSHS. “Rodney learned about the idea of #ThrowShine from the 3 Musketeers commercials and wanted to bring it to our school. I was immediately on board with the idea.”
After learning about the project through social media, the 3 Musketeers brand donated 2,800 candy bars to the school so students could continue to spread the messages. The company is also funding a new mural to depict positivity as a cornerstone of the West Springfield High School experience. And in order to share Wrice and Wever’s story with the rest of the world, the brand created a mini documentary, which was released earlier this summer (watch below).
Wever says one of her former teachers once said teenagers do not usually have an impact on their world. Disappointed, Wever felt personally challenged to make a change. She wants to be an example to other high school students by showing that even something small like a candy bar with a positive message can make a difference.
“I tell other teens to look for the positive elements in their life, and I look to God as my personal foundation and my strength,” Wever says. “Everyone should find that strength and make themselves better. In today’s world, there is a growing need for teens to be self-reflective and make a difference beyond themselves.”
Even though Wrice has now graduated, Wever plans to continue to spread joy (and candy bars) during the new school year. She plans to pass it down to another student to keep it going after she graduates.