Turn on the news and you’ll find stories and images of incurable diseases, inexplicable tragedies, as well as thousands of other horrifying truths dominating the media- leaving you frightened, worried, or just generally depressed.

But what most people don’t realize is that in the unfortunate timeline of events are hidden the great wonders of the world – or as Huffington Post has it labeled – the “Good News” tab. Inside holds stories of sweet reunions or pure chances of luck.

I personally believe that for every dark story, read a light one. While some may argue that there are naturally more negative stories, perhaps it is the media that focuses more on the hard-hitting, tough stories that could more drastically affect the majority of the world.

It’s out there, though. The good things humans are doing and the stories that will make people stop, for a second, and smile.

Take, for example, Jacob French – who did more than just ‘raise money for charity.’ French did so in the most interesting of ways – he dressed up as a Stormtrooper from the hit series Star Wars and walked 3,100 miles across the country of Australia according to mnn.com.

French gave the donations he received from the walk to the Starlight Children’s Foundation who supports children with chronic disease. The entirety of his proceeds totaled up to more than $100,000.

People around the world are doing things that are not only opening minds, they are making people laugh, smile, and be more optimistic.

Travel back to the U.S. and find another act of kindness. Last summer nine-year-old Caine Monroy built an entire life-size arcade out of merely cardboard boxes. When filmmaker Nirvan Mullick stepped inside Caine’s arcade as his first and only customer, he was stunned and impressed with the boys ability to come up with such a creative thought.

After using the arcade as a project, Mullick produced and recently released the movie “Caine’s Arcade”- in which Mullick organized a flashmob of customers to the arcade. The video quickly went viral and Monroy is now collecting money from supporters for college funds later in his life.

Both events were reported inside Huffington Post’s “Good News” tab, and have helped the projects gain coverage.

These are only two things that have happened out of the hundreds in the past two weeks. Yet they are so inspiring and creative (and until recently undiscovered) it brings the question to mind- how much good is actually out there that is being ignored?

Scandals, murders, wars should not dominate the media. While it is important to be informed, it is equally important to live positively. So bookmark the “Good News” tab. Use websites merely based on positive things in the world such as www.happynews.com. Get happy, get involved, and be informed. It will change the way you see the world, the community, and even your own life.

For junior Jeanelle Seals, it was. Seals was in the restaurant Shout, located near Piedmont park, when she and her friends heard some exciting news from their limo driver; the celebrity rapper T.I. was about to enter the restaurant they were in.

“Our driver knew T.I.’s driver,” Seals said. “[When we found out], we waited, very excited and talking about how we would act when we met him.” Seals and her friends didn’t have to wait long to meet the star, either. “There was only a crowd of about five people, not including us, who knew he was coming out because it was supposed to be a secret,” Seals said.

After waiting the ten minutes that seemed like forever, the rapper finally arrived. “He came out with his entourage and kids in tow. We started to run over to him, but his body guard put his hand out to signal us to stop. Then, we started to speed walk over to him,” Seals said.

When T.I. met the Decatur crowd, Seals says he wasn’t afraid to strike up a conversation. “He asked us if we were going to prom, and what school we went to,” she said.

The jitters of meeting the star hadn’t worn off by the time Seals and her friends piled back into the limo. “We got back in the limo, really excited, and started calling and texting everyone. When his song came on the radio, we went crazy!”

Although prom itself was fun, Seals says that T.I. was the highlight of the night. “Because people only came for around 30 minutes, then left, there wasn’t a lot of dancing. That made prom not as fun as it potentially could have been,” Seals said.

Nevertheless, prom was still fun for Seals. “I enjoyed myself because I got to see everyone dressed up. The photo booth was the best part,” She said.

Overall, Seals will never forget the night of April 14, 2012. “It was one of the most exciting moments of my life. It’s not everyday you actually get to meet a celebrity,” Seals said.

The program is integrated at colleges and universities around the country. Alternative Spring Break allows college students to travel to a city and volunteer for the week. The University of Georgia (UGA) took students to Miami and Philadelphia in 2010. The program – now known as IMPACT – at UGA started in 1994.

Each trip involves a different social issue at hand. For example, a trip students from Emory University took focused on disaster relief and recovery.

According to Caitlin Kelly, a student involved with IMPACT at UGA, Alternative Spring Break helps students achieve a new perspective on social issues.

Now, the program is for college students solely. After a couple of beach trips for spring break, maybe try the alternative and do something new.

I found this to also be the case when Decatur competed with Avondale in other sports. At Decatur, Avondale became a sort of joke. It wasn’t as wealthy as Decatur, and it didn’t have as nice facilities as we do.

When Avondale closed down, the negative stigma around it increased. Avondale didn’t meet its Adequate Yearly Progress under the No Child Left Behind Act. Many Decatur students found this amusing – comical, even. There were suggestions that the students weren’t smart enough or the school didn’t care enough about its students to keep them on track.

After reading Marsha Tucker’s (an Avondale parent) letter to the media, I now know that many of the perceptions surrounding Avondale aren’t true.

In the years leading up to the closing, Avondale’s school board allowed the Dekalb Early College Academy and the Dekalb School of the Arts to host classes in Avondale’s High School. The board also spent a significant amount of its funds renovating the areas of the school that the visitors were using, while Avondale students had classes in trailers. Parents had asked for renovations for the Avondale students in the previous years, but the school board claimed that they didn’t have significant funds.

Parents also argue that the money (money that supposedly the school didn’t have) would have been better used to help Avondale meet the Adequate Yearly Progress. This year, the students were forced to relocate to schools they weren’t familiar with, some students for their senior year of high school, a year that is supposed to be great.

Knowing some of the reasons behind the Avondale closing have made me reevaluate my perspective of the school. It is not the students’ fault that their school closed – in fact, they are the victims of a very unfortunate situation. Imagine if Decatur closed down and how that would impact our community. Avondale lost its community in a single decision.

As part of an influential area, Decatur students shouldn’t be so quick to judge the misfortune of other schools. Instead, we should support our new Avondale students and welcome them into our community.

Vanilla Buttermilk Strawberry, Dulce de Leche, and Key Lime. These flavors will rotate regularly. In addition to cupcakes, Sugar Moon specializes in cakes, locally-made gourmet ice cream, hand-crafted oatmeal crème pies, and more. Quality is guaranteed by Kiefer’s usage of fine and fresh ingredients. Those who have tried the Kiefer’s treats say that after years of perfecting the recipes, they’ve created a cupcake that melts in your mouth.

Sweet Georgia Peach, Creme de Menthe, and German Chocolate. Sugar Moon bloomed in “the spirit of community, generosity and- of course- a love of cupcakes,” Kiefer said. Finding solace in cupcakes was the root of Sugar Moon. In the kitchen, Kiefer found that cooking was comforting after working with crime victims in an extremely emotionally-charged and non-profit environment. “[And] What began as a delectable hobby became my art and passion,” Kiefer said.

Red Velvet, Banana Pudding, and Caramel Macchiato. Sugar Moon is not only going to be giving back to the community with cupcakes. Because of its location, Kiefer is planning on helping the ⅘ Academy of Fifth Avenue students with Homework Hour. A time when fourth and fifth graders can meet up with high schoolers for tutoring.

Salted Dark Chocolate, Orange Creamsicle, and many more. In the blending of Kiefer’s baking skills and experience managing nonprofits and small businesses, Sugar Moon came to be. “We love what we do and we do what we love – making the world a better place, one cupcake at a time!” Kiefer said.

“We’re excited to be setting up shop in Oakhurst! It’s the perfect community environment for the shop,” Kiefer said. (Photo credit: Google Maps)