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Teens from alternative high school leave class to save man who fell on busy railroad tracks

The teens made sure he safely made it to the bus stop

Photo credit: Canva

Teens bolt out of school to rescue man on railroad tracks

Typically when people think of an alternative high school, they think of children that have pretty intense behavioral problems that have been kicked out of regular school. Things that come to mind are usually truancy, excess physical and verbal altercations, or teens that simply seem to struggle with keeping up in a typical school setting. There aren't many great pictures painted about the youth that attend these types of schools, so it's not surprising that the teens within those doors are oftentimes labeled as "bad."

But writing off all children that attend alternative high school as unredeemable would be a mistake. Many kids that attend those schools aren't inherently bad and three teens from Iowa prove just that. Clinton Ring, Paul Clanery and Davidson Hartman are seniors at Gateway High School, an alternative school in Iowa who sprung into action after Paul noticed a man fall on the railroad tracks from the window of their classroom.

Travel Droning GIF by JocquaGiphy

The teen watched the man struggle to find his footing, then realized he needed to do something because the railroad track is one that is frequently busy. That's when Paul rallies his two friends to go with him out the door, without permission.

"All we hear is Paul calling our name, like 'hey I see an old man falling,' and we're like 'what,' and we went and checked it out. We didn't think twice we just went out and you know, helped him out," one of the teens shares with CBS Mornings.

The teens did inform a teacher they were leaving the building as they ran past his classroom out the front doors. This fly by announcement prompted the science teacher, Matt Earlingson (Mr. E) to follow the three boys to see if the boys needed assistance. Everything was caught on the school's surveillance camera and once their teacher saw their heroic gesture, he snapped a photo of the teens helping the man.

It's unclear if the man was injured but he had difficulty walking without assistance, so the teens supported the man for his two block walk to the bus stop. They haven't heard from the man since but Mr. E certainly won't let them forget their heroic excursion to save a life.

GIF by Pudgy PenguinsGiphy

"Kinda by the time I was out there, they were getting to him and helping him up off his feet and then they started walking him to the bus stop and that's about two blocks away. And I decided to pull out my phone and take a picture. It was these two young men on each side of this older gentlemen with you know, his arms around them and it was just a selfless act. They didn't wait and ask for permission. They just said, we're doing this," the science teacher says.

The teens are well aware of the reputation of high schoolers that attend alternative school and hope that their act of kindness will shed new light. They explain that they hope their story inspires people to not judge a book by it's cover and to "be righteous to the people around you." These teens may be spending their senior year at an alternative school but they've already got one life lesson mastered–look out for your members in your community.

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Bullies told this boy Irish dancing was 'for girls.' An NFL player disagreed.

It all started with a mother desperate to help her son.

Carl Tubbs, 12, of Des Moines, Iowa, has been taking Irish dancing lessons for four years — and he's really good at it. According to ABC News, Carl spends extra time practicing during recess at school to help him get ready for competitions.

But there's one big problem. Carl's choice of hobby has made him a target for school bullies. Dancing is "for girls," they tell him, and he's often teased mercilessly.

Feeling powerless as her son was being tormented, Carl's mom, Joanne, did what any loving parent would do. She ... reached out to an NFL star on Twitter?

Recent profiles of Baltimore Ravens running back Alex Collins revealed a surprising aspect of his training: He, too, was a fan of the Irish jig.

The quick-moving, foot-focused dance style helps Collins stay light on his feet while avoiding crushing blows from opposing linebackers, and with Collins emerging as a top player at his position this year, his unique training style has garnered a lot of attention.

Joanne Tubbs reached out, hoping there was some way Collins could help her son.

To her surprise, Collins responded to her tweet. But that was only the beginning.

"Never stop doing the things you love because someone else doesn't agree," Collins replied. "Chase your dreams Carl and don't let them stop you from being great!"

Collins offered to meet Carl before the next Ravens game in Minnesota — which is driving distance from Carl's home — to give him some more words of encouragement.

Carl meets his NFL hero. Photo via Chad Steele/Baltimore Ravens.

Before and after the game, Collins met with the Carl, introduced him to his teammates, gave him a team-signed football, and told him to keep his head up.

In other interviews, Collins has revealed that he was also teased and bullied for his interest in dance. But not anymore.

Carl said Collins simply told him, "Just keep on moving forward and they’ll learn that picking on someone is not OK and eventually it’ll get better." He also noted that, with an NFL star in his corner, the bullies have since apologized.

We need more dudes like Collins who are willing to break down tired old ideas about what makes a man.

Not every kid who gets bullied receives a public show of support from a major sports figure. There wouldn't be enough time in the day. The best thing male role models can do is lead by their own example.

Men can be physically big and strong, or not. They can like football or dancing, or both. But the one thing they should never have to be is ashamed of being who they are and enjoying the things they do — especially when it breaks with traditional standards of masculinity.

Kudos to Collins for living the message, and for taking the time to make sure the next generation knows it's OK to just be themselves.

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A Muslim family got a hateful letter, and over 100 people answered it with kindness.

The Samel family immigrated to the U.S. from Sudan in 2010. They became naturalized citizens in May 2015 and moved into a new house in Iowa City, Iowa, that December.

The house had actually been built for them with help from Habitat for Humanity and as part of the city's National Day of Service and Remembrance in honor of 9/11. The Muslim family — Amar Samel and his wife, Muna Abdalla, along with their four children — were happily settling into their new American lives, including jobs and schooling.

They'd been living in the house 11 months when Amar Samel returned home from a memorial service to find a less-than-welcoming note on the door:

“You can all go home now. We don’t want (a racial epithet) and terrorists here. #Trump.”

Photo via Stephen Mally/The (Cedar Rapids, Iowa) Gazette, used with permission.

That was Nov. 11, 2016, the Friday after Election Day. Judging by the hashtag stamped on the end of the hateful message, the timing was no coincidence.

Unfortunately, when Samel called the police, they were not particularly helpful at first. According to Samel, the officer he spoke with on the phone declined to visit the house or take a formal statement and told Samel to simply take the note down and throw it away.

"This disappointed me more than the action itself because I was looking for kind of support," Samel told the Iowa City Press-Citizen. "Because the police obviously represent for us, represent somebody supporting you. The law. The power. So nobody’s above the law."

The police administration has since assigned a detective to investigate the case. The Iowa City Area CrimeStoppers also stepped in to offer a $1,000 reward for information about the culprits behind the note.

Photo via Stephen Mally/The (Cedar Rapids, Iowa) Gazette, used with permission.

But as word of the incident began to spread around Iowa City, the Samels' fellow Iowans found other ways to show their support.

Strangers and friends alike banded together to flood the family with neighborly love and true hospitality, sending them cookies, cards, flowers, and balloons and chalking affectionate messages on their driveway.

"I'm glad your [sic] my brother's best friend," wrote one classmate to the Samels' son, Mohammed.

"You are very nice people. You should stay," someone scribbled on the asphalt outside their home. "We're glad you're here!" another wrote.

Photo via Stephen Mally/The (Cedar Rapids, Iowa) Gazette, used with permission.

"You hear about these things happening, but you don’t really know if it’s true. When I heard people say this was their neighbor, it really hit home," one Iowan told The Gazette after dropping off a flower bouquet at the Samel family home the Monday after the incident.

Photo via Stephen Mally/The (Cedar Rapids, Iowa) Gazette, used with permission.

Sarah Widdick Shaw saw the Samels' heartbreaking story in The Gazette and shared it with the famous secret Facebook group Pantsuit Nation.

Shaw urged her fellow group members to keep the lovefest going for the Samel family by sending them even more notes, cards, and gifts through The Gazette, whose address she included in the post.

"I only hope that there were enough to make a difference for them," she said. "It's not much, sending letters of support, but gezzus we have to do something to counteract all this hate."

Within the hour, the post had been shared by more than a hundred people. Other users shared photos of their cards, letters, baked goods, and handmade gifts such as stickers and temporary tattoos. Some people even made donations to Habitat for Humanity because they'd helped to build the family's home.

Photo via Stephen Mally/The (Cedar Rapids, Iowa) Gazette, used with permission.

By the Monday before Thanksgiving, The Gazette had received more than a hundred cards and letters, all looking to be delivered to the Samels.

The family was overwhelmed by the support. When The Gazette asked if the family wanted to respond to this outpouring of support, Amar Samel answered, "Tell them we are OK. Everything will be OK. We are relieved by knowing that, this is life, always there is good and bad, but the good is always more."

Just a few of the cards received at the Gazette office. Image via the Samel family.

Recent events may have invigorated a new surge of hate in America, but it's inspired even more people to show how big their hearts can be.

"Hopefully the next generation will have more warmth in their hearts," Sarah Widdick Shaw said after seeing the response to her Facebook post. Though maybe that warmth is already there. We just need to make sure we're actively, openly sharing it for all the world to feel and see.

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A town is getting its first police dog in 20 years, thanks to a 5-year-old boy.

From stray to the sheriff's office, this pup's had quite the journey.

This dog's name is Bosco, and he's going to help solve crimes, in part thanks to a 5-year-old boy in Iowa.

In January 2016, Bosco will be joining the police department in Ankeny, Iowa, as part of its brand new K-9 unit. He comes by way of an animal shelter in Syracuse, Indiana, where he was taken in as a stray puppy. There, a shelter trainer noticed Bosco had potential to work as a police tracking dog and brought him to the attention of a police trainer in Omaha, Nebraska.

Bosco and his handler Officer Bret Lappin. All images via City of Ankeny/YouTube.

Local businesses and town residents donated toward the campaign to bring Bosco to Ankeny.

The Ankeny City Council set a fundraising goal of $20,000 to help pay some of the initial costs of getting the K-9 unit up and running. Thanks to all the donations pouring in, the Ankeny Police Department exceeded that goal and successfully raised nearly $30,000 toward Bosco's training and other K-9 unit start-up costs.

Bosco attends a press conference announcing his addition to Ankeny's force.

But it was a donation from 5-year-old Tristan Sommerfeld that helped put the campaign over the top.

When he grows up, Tristan wants to be a police officer. After learning his hometown police department was trying to raise money to give Ankeny its first K-9 unit in 20 years, Tristan decided to help make it happen.

"My birthday, a lot of people gave me some money," said Tristan to WHO-TV in Des Moines. "Rather than asking for gifts from friends and family, we asked for donations for the K-9 fund," added his mom, Amber Sommerfeld.

Tristan raised a total of $1,500 and donated all of it to make sure his local police department could get the K-9 fund off the ground by the time he's old enough to join the force.


5-year-old Tristan Sommerfeld joins Ankeny Police Chief Gary Mikulec at a press conference.

Police dogs can play an important role in helping to find missing people or detect drugs.

"We've had some cases in the past where people have gone missing and having a dog that can track is going to be very helpful," said Bosco's handler Officer Bret Lappin.

And while the effectiveness of a dog's ability to help find people or drugs varies based on factors like breed, environment, and training, K-9 units are a valuable addition to any town's police force.

Tristan, Bosco, and Officer Lappin chat outside the press conference.

Check out Bosco's introduction below, and follow his journey on Instagram.

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