Eisenhower Junior High students attempt world record for longest line of coloring pages

TAYLORSVILLE — Eisenhower Junior High School is no stranger to world records.

"For years and years, we've done different world records. It's been part of the culture here," Zach Layton, an English and journalism teacher at the school, said.

Last year, students set a record for the fastest human conveyor belt. Now they're hoping to do it again, this time with something a little more colorful.

On Friday, the junior high students attempted to break a Guinness World Record for the longest line of coloring pages, laying out more than 8,000 sheets across the gym floor.

There were a few rules: no blank pages, at least two colors on each one and every sheet had to touch.

"It's really cool that a bunch of kids came to do this," one student said.

The project has been months in the making — the journalism class designed the pages, and then the rest of the school helped bring them to life.

It took nearly three hours to carefully place every page — each one carrying a simple but powerful message: kindness.

"The Granite School District has asked all of us to do different kindness activities each month," Layton said. "So it's kind of the perfect storm. … We had to create some coloring sheets, and we're just like, 'Hey, let's put them together.'"

The pages featured messages such as "Choose Kindness," "Generals are Kind," "Kindness is Fun" and "Being Kind Brings Smiles."

"Our school is really good with being kind, and I think it's a great way to show kindness in different ways with different quotes on the papers," sixth-grader Ma'Ake said.

Layton said the impact goes beyond the record attempt.

"People ask why we do these things … it's them working together," Layton said. "Kids who have never talked to each other will be like, 'Hey, have you colored some sheets yet?' So it gets them to come together, as a community, and that's what we're all about here."

In total, the line stretched 3,686 feet and 8 inches — more than half a mile long.

Now, the school must submit photo and video evidence to Guinness, with witnesses verifying every page. The confirmation process can take up to 12 weeks, but school leaders said they're hoping for expedited results by the end of the school year.

The current record stands at 5,930 coloring pages, according to the Guinness Book of World Records.

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