All four of the Elwood School District’s buildings – Elwood-John H. Glenn High School, Elwood Middle School, James H. Boyd Intermediate School and Harley Avenue Primary School were again awarded No Place for Hate designation this year from the Anti-Defamation League, earning gold status.
“This year, the Harley committee felt that projects based around building community would be beneficial to our school building,” Harley Avenue Principal Dr. Denise Toscano said. “We completed four schoolwide projects, earning us Gold status once again. We began the year with a lesson focusing on the No Place for Hate pledge. Our next activity emphasized the need to respect others. We built a tree where we displayed leaves showing examples of how each member of our school community shows respect to one another. Next, we used literature to foster an understanding of how appreciating each of our unique qualities can create a stronger and diverse community. Each grade level spent time in art class illustrating an individual picture that expressed their joy in their uniqueness. These individual pictures came together to form a large mural for the grade. The second graders were able to help assemble the murals for a schoolwide display. We ended this year's program with a lesson on empathy. Students showcased their abilities to empathize with others in our school community through role playing. Once again, the students and staff enjoyed completing lessons that spanned the grades and taught the same important values.”
“This year, Elwood Middle School has continued its efforts to explore the concept of being an ally,” Principal Dr. Christina Moran said. “We defined key terms like ‘upstander’ and ‘bystander,’ and reviewed strategies for fostering important conversations that ensure inclusivity and acceptance. Additionally, we emphasized the critical distinction between intent and impact. As we conclude the year, our students are committing to one of the six methods of allyship provided by NPFH, which they will carry into the next school year.”
“It is a great honor to be recognized as a district for the collective efforts in making our schools safe and inclusive for all students,” John Glenn Principal Corey McNamara said. “I think it is important to recognize the great work of Dr. Moran and her team for bringing attention to this designation as our first NPFH school years ago. We look forward to our continued work in support of the ideals and NPFH pledge.”
Date Added: 6/11/2024