On Wednesday, May 23, 2018, two students from Copper Beech Elementary School were honored at the annual No Place for Hate Designation Celebration at the Pennsylvania Convention Center. The students, Katelyn Newnom and Abigail Barson, both fifth-graders, were named the Grand Prize Winner and Runner-up, respectively, of the Anti-Defamation League’s Spring 2018 Student Essay Contest for grades five through eight.
The students were asked to write about a relationship with a friend who is different from themselves, and answer what is challenging and what is valuable about that relationship. The 750-word essays were judged on topic development, creativity, originality, quality of writing and adherence to rules. Katelyn received a prize of a $250 TD Bank VISA gift card, while Abigail took home a TD Bank VISA gift card of $50.
Katelyn and Abigail, along with their teacher, Dr. Steven Portman, attended the Designation Celebration, where the Philadelphia Eagles’ Chris Long was also honored, receiving this year’s “Making a Difference Award” and inspiring the celebration’s theme of “Get off the bench, get into the game.” Nearly 300 students from across the Greater Philadelphia region were invited to the event — including student ambassadors from Roslyn Elementary School — who, along with area educators, had the opportunity to meet and learn best practices from one another. In addition to creating posters and participating in a fun trivia game at the event, the Roslyn school community was also celebrated for the achievement of becoming a No Place for Hate School.
No Place for Hate enables schools and organizations to challenge anti-Semitism, racism and bigotry in all forms. By providing an innovative and powerful model for creating more inclusive environments, No Place for Hate aims to reduce bias and bullying, increase appreciation for diversity and build communities of respect.