Mansfield ISD Student Named TIME’s Kid of the Year

Published on February 14, 2022

By Mansfield ISD Communications

The Mansfield ISD community has known for some time there was something special about 11-year-old Orion Jean. Wednesday, Feb. 10, 2022 on Nickelodeon’s Kid of the Year TV special, the rest of the world caught on as he was named TIME Magazine’s 2021 Kid of the Year.

Jean, a sixth grader at Alma Martinez Intermediate School, was selected from more than 5,000 nominees for his community service campaigns that have helped people in need and inspired others to join his crusade for kindness along the way.

Zoom interview aired during the TV special, Jean told actress and human rights activist Angelina Jolie his philosophy is, “If you see a problem, fix it.”

That is exactly what Orion has been doing for more than a year in Mansfield ISD and the surrounding area. He developed a Race to Kindness campaign, which he used to collect and distribute 100,000 meals to food-insecure families, toys to children in local hospitals and books for kids who didn’t have any at home. Jean was recognized for his volunteer initiatives at the district’s board meeting on Tuesday, Jan. 25, 2022.

As TIME’s Kid of the Year, Orion will be featured on the cover of TIME and in additional coverage in TIME for Kids. Each of the five Kid of the Year honorees will receive a cash prize and have the opportunity to serve as a kid reporter for TIME for Kids with exclusive access to a Nickelodeon event.

The Kid of the Year TV special, hosted by Trevor Noah, is available on Nick.com, Nick App and Nick On Demand.