OCEAN CITY, NJ — Ocean City Intermediate School has been designated a Teach Kindness 2025-2026 Kind School, a recognition that honors schools working to build learning environments centered on kindness, belonging and positive relationships among students.
The designation recognizes Ocean City Intermediate School, or OCIS, as a place where members of the school community are supported and valued.
As part of the recognition, OCIS will receive a Kind School banner, a digital badge and other materials for use in district communications. According to the school district, schools seeking the designation had to complete a three-step process that included identifying a “Kindness Captain,” teaching kindness lessons and submitting a brief reflection on actions taken to promote kindness.
“Being recognized as a Kind School reflects the values that are deeply rooted in our OCIS community,” said Matt Engle, principal of OCIS. “Kindness is something our students, staff, and families work to model and reinforce every day. This is demonstrated through the way we treat one another, support each other and take pride in our school. This designation is a meaningful acknowledgment of the positive culture that has been built over time and the shared commitment to ensuring everyone feels respected and supported, and that they belong at OCIS.”
OCIS school counselor Kara Uhrich was selected as the school’s “Kindness Captain” and met with students and staff to define the school’s concept of kindness. The school community identified kindness as “treating everyone with respect and empathy, including others, and helping or encouraging people, especially when no one is watching, so that everyone feels valued and that they belong.”
“This is my first year at OCIS, and my first impression was that this school is a genuinely kind place,” said Uhrich. “That was the motivation for pursuing the designation. Just as I said to the students when I introduced this process in the fall, ‘OCIS is a really kind school, so why not be recognized for it?’ This process has helped us recognize all the kind actions of our students and staff, as well as identify ways in which we can further grow our school’s kindness and expand the impact of kindness both in and out of our building.”
Students also received lessons on kindness and on negative actions to avoid. The district said a lesson on “Rude, Mean and Bullying Behavior” was designed to help classmates reflect on their interactions while encouraging them to treat themselves and others with kindness. During New Jersey’s Week of Respect in October, students discussed ways to continue making their school a kind environment and signed anti-bullying pledges.
The Student Council also held a Santa Paws drive over the holidays and gathered and delivered more than 500 donations for a local humane society.
“We are delighted that OCIS has been designated as a Kind School,” said Christian Angelillo, Superintendent of Ocean City School District. “This recognition is a testimony to the efforts of all our students, staff and families. Each member of our school community consistently practices being encouraging, supportive and kind to one another.”
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