3/18/22
The Maltz Museum of Jewish Heritage is proud to announce the 14th Annual Stop the Hate® Youth Speak Out & Youth Sing Out Awards Ceremony. Through the generosity of a donor, the Maltz Museum annually awards $100,000 to Northeast Ohio middle and high school students, teachers, and schools, who are speaking out against bias and discrimination through individual essays and group songs.
Winners will be named on Wednesday, April 13, at 7:00 p.m. online via Zoom. The event is free and open to the public; advance registrations are required. Register at https://www.maltzmuseum.org/events/14th-annual-stop-the-hate-youth-speak-out-youth-sing-out-awards-ceremony/
Be inspired by young people of different cultures, backgrounds, and identities raising their voices to effect positive change in their communities.
- Meet the top 20 Youth Speak Out essay contest finalists from 6th – 12th
- Hear the essays of the 11th & 12th grade finalists competing for a $20,000 college scholarship.
- Discover which schools wrote the winning Youth Sing Out song lyrics.
- Celebrate the 2022 Stop the Hate Teachers of the Year.
- Find out how your student or school can participate next year.
The Stop the Hate contest is now in its 14th year. As of 2022, the total amount of scholarships, prizes, and anti-bias education grants awarded through the contest to Northeast Ohio students and schools will be $1.4 million. An estimated 45,000+ students have participated across twelve counties. Using object-based learning, students learn what it means to be a bystander, upstander, or perpetrator in global events like the Holocaust and national events like the Civil Rights Movement. Reflecting on this history, they are asked to reflect on discrimination they experience or witness today. Students respond to the question of what role they play in changing in their community.
Each of the 2,000+ contest participants will receive a congratulatory Upstander Certificate for their participation in Stop the Hate. Participating schools also share an award, and two Stop the Hate teachers of the year will be named.
Here are the names of the top student finalists and what they are competing to win:
11 & 12 Graders Competing for Scholarships in the amount of $20,000 Grand Prize; $10,000 First Runner-up; $5,000 Second Runner-up, $1,000 Honorable Mentions
Moira Ackerman Grade: 12 Hudson High School
Raychelle Davis Grade: 12 Hudson High School
Lizzy Huang Grade: 11 Shaker Heights High School
Jacqueline Hudak Grade: 11 Lakewood High School
Tiba Jraik Grade: 12 Rhodes College and Career Academy
Sanjana Katiyar Grade: 11 Strongsville High School
Samah Khan Grade: 11 Beachwood High School
Maraja Moss Grade: 12 Jackson High School
Jenan Qaraqish Grade: 12 Hudson High School
Mykenna Roy Grade: 12 Mayfield High School
6th through 10th Graders Competing for Cash Prizes in the amounts of $400 & $100
6th grade
Juliet Richards Hudson Middle School
Mattia Sturman Rocky River Middle School
7th grade
Aanchal Nassar Hathaway Brown
Jocelyn Sesnowitz Joseph and Florence Mandel Jewish Day School
8th grade
Ida Chang Beachwood Middle School
Chelsea Gipson Monticello Middle School
9th grade
Anah Khan Beachwood High School
Michael McNally Mayfield High School
10th Grade
Asia Howard Twinsburg High School
Benjamin Ralph Walsh Jesuit High School
Youth Sing Out High School Finalists Competing for Anti-bias Grants for their Schools
“Brown Child” by Laverne McLain’s 7th Period Class, Max S. Hayes High School
Teaching Artist: Kyle Kidd
“Skittles” by Sarah Hodge’s Civics 2.0 Class, Glenville High School
Teaching Artist: Charlie Mosbrook
“Speak Out” by Nicole Majercak’s 1st Period Class, Beachwood High School
Teaching Artist: Taylor Lamborn
“Step For Ours” by Antoinette Brown’s 8th Period Class, Shaw High School
Teaching Artist: Sam Hooper
“Tragedies and Memories” by Nicole Majercak’s 10th Period Class, Beachwood High School
Teaching Artist: Taylor Lamborn
Youth Sing Out Middle School Finalists Competing for Anti-bias Grants for their Schools
“Avenue” by Sheila Chamberlin’s 7th and 8th Grade Classes, Clark Elementary School
Teaching Artist: Sam Hooper
“Gen Z” by Karen Fugate’s 3rd Period Class, Luis Muñoz Marin School
Teaching Artist: Kari Ann Rutushin
“Revenge Is Not the Way” Mollie Lockwood’s 6th Grade, Clark Elementary School
Teaching Artist: Sam Hooper
“Set Me Free” by Stephanie Terranova’s 7th and 8th Grade Classes, Clark Elementary School
Teaching Artist: Sam Hooper
“Tell Me (My Life Matters)” by Lisa Blasko’s 7th Grade Class, Garfield Middle School
Teaching Artist: Charlie Mosbrook
Thank you to the Youth Speak Out volunteer essay readers (there are 400 volunteer readers out there!) and the dedicated judges for the 2022 year: Greer Gibbons, Project Manager and Specialist Team, Supervisor – Engine Oils, The Lubrizol Corporation; Eduardo Kim, Partner, Thompson Hine; Gregg Levine, Consultant, Ratliff & Taylor; Cecilia H. Render, Executive Director, Nordson Corporation Foundation; Tony Sias, Director, Karamu House; Barbara White, Deputy Director, Akron Summit County Public Library.
Thank you to the incredible Youth Sing Out songwriting contest judges for the 2022 year: Taylor Barnes, Director of Resource Development, YWCA of Greater Cleveland; Joe Butler, Manager of Education, Rock & Roll Hall of Fame; Edward P. Gallagher, MT-BC – Director of Education, The Beck Center for the Arts; Jeff Niesel, Music Editor, Cleveland Scene.
To learn more about the Maltz Museum or the Stop the Hate contest, visit www.maltzmuseum.org and register for the free Zoom event on April 13 to hear the inspiring words of Northeast Ohio students making a difference in the community!
