If you have been anywhere near Madison or any of the schools in the Madison Pyramid, then it is almost certain that you have seen the big signs that say “ONE” in various colors. These signs all originate from the ONE Kind Act Vienna project. The ONE Kind Act project has been implemented throughout all Madison Pyramid Schools: Louise Archer Elementary, Flint Hill Elementary, Thoreau Middle School and Luther Middle School, to name a few.
“It formed after the pandemic,” JMHS Counselor Mallory Bacalis said. “As we were starting to come back to the school in person, [the Madison Pyramid schools] were kind of noticing a need and so they implemented ONE Kind Act Vienna,” Bacalis said.
The ‘ONE Kind Act’ is a campaign that raises awareness about treating other people with respect and kindness by performing acts of charity throughout Vienna.
“The goal [of the ONE Kind Act] is to reinforce kindness, a little bit of kindness can go a really long way, and just to reinforce the value of each person,” Bacalis said.
One way in which the ONE Kind Act is making an impact throughout FCPS is Kindness Week, a week dedicated to sharing acts of kindness and spreading awareness. Many elementary schools in Fairfax county have begun celebrating Kindness Week, including a few in the Madison pyramid like Louise Archer. During this week, schools have shown support by wearing specific colors or themes to represent a different value or idea. There was a Kindness Week this year that had a focus on values like gratitude, community, positivity, inclusiveness and helpfulness in the Madison Pyramid.
The ONE kind Act organization is doing a canned food drive during the winter, as well as Louise Archer, who is holding a food drive from November 10th to December 13th. Along with the canned food drive, Madison is starting a winter clothing drive throughout the Madison Pyramid. They are collecting winter clothes, new or in good condition, to give to Madison students in need. The clothing is mainly being given to our foreign exchange students who come from warmer climates and do not have the appropriate attire for the winter months.
The winter clothing drive organized by Ms. Slingerland is being held between November 8th and December 11th.
Although the campaign is called ONE Kind Act, there have been a few changes to the goals of the project including a new motto.
“Last year we had a ‘ONE School, ONE Community’ shirt we all wore, but this year it has started to transition to ‘You Matter’,”Bacalis said.
The transition from ONE Kind Act to the You Matter initiative happened over the summer. The “You Matter” motto has a similar goal to the “ONE Community, ONE School” motto, but it’s more focused on showing that everyone has a part in the community that Madison creates through ONE Kind Act.
“We wanted to take that ONE community and make it a little bit more specific to each person,” Bacalis said.
Now when you see the bold signs that say “ONE” or “YOU MATTER”, remember the importance of it and make it your daily reminder to be kind because the effect is bigger than you think.