Kids & Family

Medfield Middle School Students Remember Sandy Hook with 26 Acts of Kindness

Students at Blake Middle School remember Newtown victims with 26 acts of kindness that school officials say are small but can make a big impact.

Medfield’s Blake Middle School students are currently participating in “26 Days of Kindness,” a tribute to the victims of the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting in Newtown, Conn., on Dec. 14, 2012.

“The one year anniversary of the tragic events in Newtown will be upon us shortly. At Blake, we want to honor those who were lost that day by asking everyone in the Blake community to participate in 26 Days of Kindness,” Principal Nathaniel Vaughn wrote to parents explaining the program.

The initiative, said Vaughn, is to help students realize that, even though the suggested acts of kindness may not be big, they “can make an impact on someone, including each of us.”

Find out what's happening in Medfieldwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Blake is documenting each day and will "put them together in a way that we can refer back to easily and remind ourselves that kindness is something we all can practice every day," Vaughn said. 

Vaughn encouraged families to join in the initiative and to take a photo or video of them in the act.

Find out what's happening in Medfieldwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

The ideas for the daily activities came from students and staff at Blake Middle School.

The program started on Nov. 18, 2013 with 26 seconds of silence, one second for each victim of the school shooting:

  • Charlotte Bacon
  • Daniel Barden
  • Rachel Davino
  • Olivia Engel
  • Josephine Gay
  • Ana M. Marquez-Green
  • Dylan Hockley
  • Dawn Hochsprung
  • Madeleine F. Hsu
  • Catherine V. Hubbard
  • Chase Kowalski
  • Jesse Lewis
  • James Mattioli
  • Grace McDonnell
  • Anne Marie Murphy
  • Emilie Parker
  • Jack Pinto
  • Noah Pozner
  • Caroline Previdi
  • Jessica Rekos
  • Avielle Richman
  • Lauren Rousseau
  • Mary Sherlach
  • Victoria Soto
  • Benjamin Wheeler
  • Allison N. Wyatt

The 26 Days of Kindness include:

  1. Nov. 18 – 26 seconds of silence, one second for each victim
  2. Nov. 19 – Take the Sandy Hook Pledge
  3. Nov. 20 – Wear Green, Sandy Hook’s color
  4. Nov. 21 – Sit with someone different today (on the bus, in class, at lunch)
  5. Nov. 22 – One day book collection: Bring a book to fill the teachers’ classroom libraries
  6. Nov. 23 – Compliment Day: Give someone a sincere compliment and see how it makes you feel
  7. Nov. 24 – Reconnect with a friend or family member you’ve lost touch with and have a real conversation (texts don’t count)
  8. Nov. 25 – Teacher Appreciation Day. Let a teacher know how much you appreciate him or her
  9. Nov. 26 – Hi’s and Eyes. Say “Hi” to two people (new to you) and look them in the eye when you greet them
  10. Nov. 27 – Do a household chore usually done by someone else
  11. Nov. 28 – Do a helpful job or task without being asked
  12. Nov. 29 – Leave a space cleaner than you found it
  13. Nov. 30 – Give all your family members an extra hug
  14. Dec. 1 – Help a neighbor out with a chore
  15. Dec. 2 – Go Green Day. Reuse water bottles; recycle all recyclables; find another use for something before you throw it out; don’t waste food, energy or water.
  16. Dec. 3 – Custodian Appreciation Day. Make a card or stop and make sure to thank all of the custodians who keep the building clean and running.
  17. Dec. 4 – Bracelet Day. Everyone at Blake will receive a friendship bracelet or rainbow loom bracelet in Medfield colors.
  18. Dec. 5 – Card for Newtown. There will be a big card for the town of Newtown, Conn., that students and staff will sign. Family members can also sign the card if they are in the building.
  19. Dec. 6 – One-Day Donation Day. Monies collected will be divided between, and donated to, the Greater Boston Food Bank and the Medfield Food Cupboard.
  20. Dec. 7 – Thank each person in your house for something they have done for you. While you’re at it, try to make one person laugh today.
  21. Dec. 8 – Set the table for one meal. Also, make your own lunch and snack for Monday.
  22. Dec. 9 – Kindness quotes will be read in between each school period.
  23. Dec. 10 – We will be reading a story or poem about kindness and/or courage together during Silent Reading.
  24. Dec. 11 – Hat Day! Wear a hat and pay $1, and it’s Jeans Day for teachers who pay $5 if they wear jeans. Monies collected will go to DonorsChoose.org and help a classroom in Connecticut and a classroom in Massachusetts.
  25. Dec. 12 – Snowflake Day. We will make green snowflakes and hang them in the halls of Blake.
  26. Dec. 13 – Bake will celebrate all the amazing acts of kindness that have taken place since Nov. 18. We will use this to kick off the BLAKE (BLoving, Accepting, and Kind Everywhere) campaign.
December 14, 2013: One Year Later Blake students are encouraged to BLoving, Kind, and Accepting Everywhere.


Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here