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Annandale Elementary School

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Unity Day

23 Years Tradition of Celebrating Unity Day

Unity Day was started by PACER's National Bullying Prevention Center. It is the signature event of National Bullying Prevention/Awareness Month in October. This is a day when our nation can come together in one giant, ORANGE message of hope and support for all. The call to action is simple: wear orange to stand for unity, inclusion, acceptance, and kindness. The first Unity Day at Annandale Elementary School was on October 10, 2012. It has been a tradition that our staff gather in the gym on the morning of UNITY Day for a staff-wide photo. Pictured is our first staff picture in 2012 and a more recent year. As you can see, we have grown! 

For several years AES celebrated Unity Day annually but quickly realized that a stronger message would be to UNITE by wearing ORANGE once a month! AES now wears ORANGE the first Wednesday of every month and that tradition has been going on for 11 years! During Unity Days our staff incorporates classroom and school-wide activities and lessons with different themes. Themes from this year include; Friendship, Generosity, Inclusion, Acceptance, Kindness, and Compassion. We also hold our Kindness Retreat for 5th Graders to learn how they can promote unity and inclusiveness. It’s wonderful to see our 5th-graders acting as role models throughout the building!

Proudest moments include; 

  • Seeing students further reflect on the different learning opportunities and lessons. 
  • Last year, the author of Beads on One String, Dennis Warner came to our school to promote The Beads on One String Project. This project utilizes two things that kids love – music and art – while emphasizing the importance of positive behavior and interaction. The most important message is, "We're more alike than we are different.”
  • Seeing kindness spread in March for Kindness Week! During Kindness Week we further reflect on unity and kindness. That week we have different learning opportunities, Kindness Challenges, and a Coin Drive. 

AES Unity Days have been huge successes and made a huge impact on our school! We are looking forward to another successful year full of Unity, Kindness, Acceptance, and Inclusion!