Seven years after Colleen Ritzer was killed by one of her math students at Danvers High School, her family is asking the public to honor her life by performing random acts of kindness.
“Colleen Ritzer lived her life full of love and passion,” the Colleen E. Ritzer Foundation posted on Facebook Wednesday. “She devoted her life to inspiring her students and spreading kindness.”
Ritzer, 24, was starting her second year teaching at Danvers High when she was killed by a student on Oct. 22, 2013. Philip D. Chism, her freshman algebra student who was 14 at the time, was convicted of her murder. He is serving a 40 year prison sentence.
Every year on the anniversary of her death, Ritzer’s family asks people to celebrate her life by performing acts of kindness such as holding the door open for someone, teaching lessons of kindness, or thanking those who support them, according to the foundation’s website.
People are encouraged to post their acts on social media using the hashtag #Kindness4Colleen.
This year, a North Andover cupcake shop, Pipe Dream Cupcakes, is answering her family’s call by donating the money they make from their Pink Lady cupcakes this week to the Colleen E. Ritzer Memorial Scholarship.
The Colleen E. Ritzer Memorial Scholarship supports graduating seniors at Danvers and Andover school graduates who plan to study education at a four-year college, according to the foundation’s website.
The scholarship has awarded nearly $305,000 to future teachers who graduate from public and private schools in Danvers and Andover, where Ritzer grew up.
This year, two new scholarships honoring students who inspire kindness were given out in honor of Ritzer. Kindness is a quality long associated with the slain teacher.