“I can’t begin to express how proud I am of the bravery and passion these middle school students shared with us in their writings,” Yost said in a release. “I knew there were some tremendous students in Springfield, but the level of thoughtfulness and desire to make their community better is stunning.”
Springfield is the first district in Ohio to participate in the program, the release stated. The program received over 660 submissions from seventh- and eighth-grade students from Hayward, Roosevelt and Schaefer middle schools. The challenge encourages students to write an essay about how violence, including bullying, has personally impacted them and how they can reduce violence in their communities.
The 10 finalists were: Caleb Beverly (Schaefer); Clayton Brim Jr. (Hayward); Benjamin Brown (Roosevelt); Anna Denton (Hayward); Lily Hatton (Roosevelt); Corbin Lambert (Roosevelt); Kayla Miller (Roosevelt); Nevaeh Myers (Roosevelt); Karson Spurgeon (Schaefer); and Breyanna Ward (Roosevelt), according to the AG release. Their writings were complied into a booklet that will be shared across the state.
Several community members and business leaders volunteered to read each essay and choose the top 10 submissions, the release stated.
“I hope that you see the passion, heart and courage as you read each of their essays,” Superintendent Bob Hill said. “Although they may only be beginning their teen years, I believe we can all learn something from their experiences and unique perspectives.”
An award ceremony was heldTuesday to celebrate the students at the John Legend Theater. It included a presentation of awards to the top 10 students and the two finalists who will advance to a virtual national conference.
Of the top 10 students, Lily Hatton and Corbin Lambert were selected to become Ohio’s ambassadors to the national “Do the Write Thing” conference.
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