On Nov. 12, the Elwood School District Board of Education was once again happy to recognize several outstanding students who played an integral role in Elwood Middle School being designated as an Anti-Defamation League: No Place for Hate School.
As members of the first EMS Anti-Defamation League: No Place for Hate Committee, these students spoke about bias with their peers, learned how to identify hate and what to do when confronted by it.
“They also showed their own vulnerability and courage to discuss their experiences with discrimination in front of our entire staff so that we could better understand our students’ experiences with hate, bias and discrimination,” guidance counselor Laurie Lederer said as she introduced each student to the Board. “We are committed to making Elwood Middle School an inclusive, safe and brave community.”
Thanks to their hard work, the No Place for Hate program has spread to Harley Avenue Primary School, James H. Boyd Intermediate School and John H. Glenn High School.
“I truly appreciate the work of this committee and the work that the middle school did and has done to promote the Anti-Defamation League and the No Place for Hate program,” Superintendent of School’s Dr. Kenneth Bossert said. “While this building really got the ball rolling, your work has spread across the entire district and it’s something that all of our students and faculty are invested in and you helped to make that happen.”
Congratulations to committee members Alicia Ancewicz, Lily Brown, Julien Bush, Kaylee Facal, Keyth-Endy Jeudy, Ava Leitner, Angelina Lombardi, Maya Mariotti, Justyce Midgett, Christina Munch, Matthew Pepper and Noah Serling.
Following the student recognition portion of the evening, Dr. Bossert then took time to publicly thank District Clerk Mary Lou Marx for her unwavering dedication to the Elwood School District and its community.
Since school buildings closed in March, he said that Ms. Marx has gone above and beyond the call of duty, calling her a “beacon of light during a dark time.” Each member of the Board echoed those sentiments with the most recently elected trustees, Thomas Scarola and Dr. Sara Siddiqui, thanking her for her guidance in navigating district policies and procedures as they settle in to their new roles.
Dr. Bossert said, “Ms. Marx has been such a valuable resource to this community during the period of closure that words cannot express the value and efforts that she has brought to the district adequately.”