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School’s “Peptoc Hotline” Helping To Boost People’s Moods

Author Melany Myers
Photo by Luke Fontana/Screen Actors Guild Foundation via Getty Images

If you’re like me and you’re feeling a little overwhelmed by the war in Ukraine, two years of the pandemic and all the other negative news in the world, this will help. Kids at West Side Elementary School in Healdsburg, California, are here to brighten your day. The kids are offering free pep talks!

Jessica Martin, a local artist and art teacher, came up with the idea of offering free pep talks to people from her kindergarteners. She expected the “Peptoc Hotline” to lift some spirits in the community but had no idea it would go viral.

According to CNN, the hotline is now getting as many as 5,000 calls a day. The name “Peptoc Hotline” came from Martin’s six-year-old son. Matin asked him to create a flyer to advertise the hotline. She left the creativity up to him, only telling him the name “Peptalk” should be on the flyer. Since he’s only six, he mistakenly spelled “Peptalk” as “Peptoc”, and Matin loved it.

If you call the Peptoc Hotline at (707) 998-8410, you’ll 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.

Here are some of the uplifting options:

  • If you’re feeling “mad, frustrated or nervous” – One child’s message says, “If you’re frustrated, you can always go to your bedroom and punch a pillow or cry on it.” And another suggests, “If you’re nervous, go get your wallet and spend it on ice cream and shoes.”
  • For those who need “words of encouragement and life advice” – One student suggests, “If you’re feeling up high and unbalanced, think of groundhogs.”
  • “Pep talk from kindergartners” – This recording is a group of youngsters cheering in unison, “You can do it!” and “Keep trying, don’t give up!”
  • And there’s one option that leads to a five-second loop of nothing but kids’ laughter.

I love this! And if you’re wondering, yes I called the hotline this morning. This is a great way to boost your mood!

Melany Myers is a Gastonia native and has spent most of her life here in North Carolina. Mel has worked in radio for over 20 years, many of which she spent co-hosting morning shows in Charlotte, NC, and Columbia, SC. Mel loves 80’s music, going to concerts, cooking, and eating! She is always writing about random news stories that really make you wonder, “what in the world?!” She also writes about rock music and human-interest content.

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