Pizza essay wins admission to Yale

Carolina Williams, 19, calls Brentwood, Tennessee, her home. She applied for admission to several universities last year, including Yale and Auburn. For her Yale application she had to write 10 essays. One essay was about "what you love to do," in less than 200 words. She wrote about her love for ordering Papa John's pizza from home, explaining in part, "When the delivery person rings my doorbell, I instantly morph into one of Pavlov's dogs, salivating to the sound that signals the arrival of the cheesy, circular glory." An admissions officer emailed back that she was accepted to Yale, adding that "I laughed so hard at your pizza essay, and then ordered pizza."

                                                                                                                         Kathy Williams
Papa John himself responded, offering her an internship, free pizza for a year, and a free pizza party in her new college dorm. But it won't be at Yale. She decided to attend Auburn University in Alabama instead. Why? "Because I love the South and the whole school spirit there." She's the first person in her family to go to college, and believes "Auburn is just a better fit for me." And Auburn has one more advantage. "They have a Papa John's in their student center on campus, so I'll be there all the time."

Companions for courage

Karl lives in Eustis, Florida. He's a white boxer who was almost put to sleep by his breeders because he was born deaf. Thanks for an organization called Companions for Courage, he now has an important career. He's available to encourage children called to court and asked to testify against their abusers. One little girl was frozen with fear when called to the stand in the 9th Circuit Court in Florida to face the man who wronged her. That's when she "signed" Karl to come sit by her, and he did. Karl knows simple sign language, and always obeys signs. Loud courtroom noises don't bother him. He's always calm.

Children who must testify are taught a few simple sign language signs that Karl knows well. They feel like they have a secret code known only to Karl. His big muscular build made little girl feel safe. When she could not reach down to pet him, she kicked off her shoes and ran her toes through his fir. With Karl's support, she began to testify and went through the entire process without a hitch.

In Toronto -- Rings of Peace

Hundreds of Canadians of different faiths are standing in support of their Jewish neighbors by forming protective "rings of peace" around synagogues in Toronto. The event was orchestrated by the National Council of Canadian Muslims to show solidarity with Jewish communities.

"It's about the sanctity of life," said Farhad Khadim, a founding director of the Islamic Institute of Toronto. "For everyone on earth, whether you are part of a certain religion or do not practice religon at all, the right to safety is paramount."

Is a stone spiritual?

In the 1800s, when Mary Baker Eddy was investigating the power of prayer, she answered the question, "is a stone spiritual?" in these words. "To erring material sense, No! but to unerring spiritual sense it is a small manifestation of Mind, a type of spiritual substance." Most folks said she was crazy to think a stone could have spiritual value, but students at Kittredge Elementary School in North Andover, Massachusetts understand.

Their discovery began 13 years ago, when Kyra Brown, Celia DiSalvo and Alex Gamble were in second grade. One day at recess they noticed what looked like a small stone in the ground behind their school. They felt compelled to dig it up. From then on (except when the ground was frozen) they spent every recess digging. First they used twigs; then little plastic spoons stolen from the cafeteria. Playground assistants told them to stop and took away their spoons. They were repeatedly sent to the principal's office, but they never quit. Finally, when they were in fifth grade, Richard Cushing became principal. According to DiSalvo, the new principal understood it "wasn't just a rock." He gave them shovels and buckets. "When it was being uncovered, different people had different opinions about it," Gamble said, "but this is not just a slab of stone. It's much more than that." Once the rock was uncovered, Principal Cushing hired heavy equipment to lift it from the ground and place it near the playground, and three years ago, when Kyra, Celia and Alex graduated from high school, they returned to Kittredge Elementary where the rock was dedicated. They were "rock" stars, literally and figuratively. But why?

"Traits such as ambition and determination that led us to dig up the rock even though we probably weren't supposed to and knew it, these traits have made us successful in our careers as students," Brown explained. Whenever current and future Kittredge students sit on the rock, they will remember these traits, and these memories give the rock spiritual value. Already, its become a beacon for kids who get picked on. If they sit on the rock, by the end of recess someone will sit with them. Just ask Walter Wanyoike. "I sat on the rock and then eventually some kids came and that changed my life forever," he said. "I thought I'd just sit there alone at recess. When I made these new friends, it felt magical."

When Kyra, Celia and Alex started digging in second grade, they wondered if they might find a timeless treasure. Apparently they did.

Sweeter than candy

Libbie Stanton is nine years old and lives in Vail, Colorado. She does not like to eat candy, but loves Halloween anyway. So, for the past three years, she's been getting people to donate their leftover Halloween candy so she send it to troops serving abroad.

Treats for Troops is a program run by a charity called Soldier's Angels. Every year, they sound thousands of pounds of candy to troops and veterans. Libbie got involved in 2016, when she collected about 80 pounds of candy. Her goal this year was 1,000 pounds. She knows she's not just sending soldiers candy. She's also sending them hope, and love.

Helping hands make work light

A store in Southhampton, England, had to move because its rent became unaffordable. The store, called October Books, raised enough money to buy a former bank building nearby, and as moving day approached, they appealed to the community for help.

Volunteers arrived on moving day to make a human chain and transfer more than 2,000 books to the new location. Jani Franck, who took part in the chain, said "It's truly amazing. The power of community coming together and achieving something like this."

Yes, we do have bananas

Stacey Truman is the cafeteria manager at Kingston Elementary School in Virginia Beach, Virginia. She wanted to offer some inspiration to her students, so she started writing down little messages of encouragement on the bananas that she served for lunch.

Students have officially called the healthy treats "talking bananas," and Truman says they are almost always gone by the time lunch is over. School principal Sharon Shrewbridge was so touched by the gesture that she took this photo of the talking bananas and posted it on social media.