Daniel Hand High School (DHHS) students are stepping up to encourage a kinder community here in Madison. At a Board of Selectmen (BOS) meeting on Feb. 11, three students came to speak with the selectmen about their latest project.

The students are members of Madison Youth & Family Services (MYFS) Roots, a student-led group that tries to empower youth to support one another and support members of their community, creating a caring a positive culture.

At the selectmen’s meeting, Roots member Lexi Istichin told the board about projects already undertaken by the group, which has about 20 members, and what is next.

“We have been doing a few things at the high school as part of our MadLove project,” she said. “We have painted kindness rocks with bright colors and wrote positive messages and put them outside the school. We have done ‘take what you need’ sticky notes that have encouraging messages and they are up for students to take for whatever they need. We have also passed out candy canes with messages on them around the holidays to encourage everyone to be kind and positive.”

Now, Istichin said, the group is looking to spread their message beyond the walls of the school. How? With the help of bracelets.

“We have MadLove bracelets and we have attached them to thank-you notes and we have been passing them out to faculty and students at the high school,” she said. “The goal of the bracelets is essentially to encourage people to be more aware of little acts of kindness that they see around them every day and encourage folks to notice these things, because most of us don’t notice these kind little acts. The point of the bracelet is when you see these acts, that the bracelet be passed on to encourage people to continue being kind and looking out for one another.”

Student Andrew Farmer said they hope teachers and local businesses will help spread the bracelets and the message around the town.

“We are going to encourage the teachers at the school who already have them to pass them out to people in the community, not just students, if they see acts of kindness happening around town. We are also going to pass these out to local businesses,” he said.

Selectmen praised the students and the project. Tina Garrity, leader of the Madison Alcohol and Drug Education (MADE) Coalition, said the students should be commended for talking the lead on this initiative.

“I think it’s just awesome the work they are doing and how it is helping our community and it really supports a lot of the work we have been doing not only with MADE but with the school system and with the town to really help bring kindness and love to the town,” she said. “I know that sounds simple, but it is part of a whole social and emotional wellbeing that we really need as a society overall.”

Garrity said being kind and having a caring community can help create a safer and healthier community as well.

“Research has shown that these types of qualities, when they are instilled, especially at a young age, you are less likely then to grow up and have problems with depression, suicidal thoughts, drug abuse, etc., and that is the ultimate goal that we at MADE are trying to help change,” she said. “Our town here has seen a lot of unfortunate deaths over the years to suicide and drug use. It’s this kind of work that is going to change the way people think and feel.”