Bullied every day for years because of his lisp, Josh Yandt and his family moved to London, Ontario, in 2011. Determined not to be "put in a box" by his new classmates, the remarkable young man dramatically changed the trajectory of his life with one small idea: he would hold open the door at school each day.

It was his chance to break out of a depression-filled past. He held the door open for hundreds of teenagers that first morning – and every morning since. At first they didn't know what to make of the stranger who quietly offered them greetings day after day. But then, something happened.

They began to sincerely appreciate his gesture. They learned his name and greeted him back.

Something else happened, too, at Clarke Road Secondary School. His kindness became a contagion. His classmates reported that more people were helping each other in the hallways — an oddity before then.

Perhaps best of all, Josh Yandt was named "Student with best personality" — and the prom king.

Josh's idea "opened the door to a whole new way of thinking."

(WATCH the video below from The National and CBC TV – Dec. 19, 2012)