STUDENTS VIE FOR $100,000 IN SCHOLARSHIPS AND PRIZES
Cleveland, Ohio (March 1, 2012) – This year more than 1,800 students from 126 schools shared their solutions to stop hatred and discrimination by entering the fourth annual Maltz Museum of Jewish Heritage Stop the Hate: Youth Speak Out essay contest. 24 of those students are now eligible for $100,000 in scholarships and prizes. Their essays address a variety of issues, from bullying to racial, ethnic and gender discrimination, from homelessness to the rights of those with special needs and more, and offer heartfelt and innovative solutions.
Essays have been read and scored in a rigorous process by more than 200 community volunteers. “The number of students who enter the contest is a testimony to their willingness to take a stand for change,” said Lynda A. Bender, Director of Education and Public Programs. More than 6,500 entries have been received in the contest’s first four years, an astonishing number that evidences the depth of concern among the youth of our region.
These 24 student semi-finalists will be narrowed down to ten finalists by a panel of community leaders acting as judges. Those finalists will compete for three college scholarships and other prizes by giving oral presentations at an awards ceremony on April 22 at Severance Hall.
Semi-finalists in grades 11-12 represent students from four of the seven eligible counties, and from seventeen schools. They are:
Jennifer Baumgartner, Kenston High School, Chagrin Falls
Elizabeth S. Clarke, Beaumont High School, Cleveland Heights
Paige J. Crawford, Cleveland School of the Arts
Naja Aramenta Jean Davis, Laurel High School, Shaker Heights
Jamison DeWeerd, Brecksville-Broadview Heights High School
Hannah Eliasoph, Orange High School
Jonah M. Firestone, Beachwood High School
Naomi Hill, Shaker Heights High School
Gabrielle Jones, Martin Luther King, Jr. High School, Cleveland
Seema Kazen, Yavne High School, Beachwood
Telayne Keith, Our Lady of the Elms High School, Akron
Randy Keller, Gilmour Academy High, Gates Mills
Jane Kim, Beaumont High School
Sarah Krafcik, Padua Franciscan High School, Parma
Rachel Lieberman, Orange High School
Bryan Naelitz, Marion L. Steele High School, Amherst
Christina Phelps, Beachwood High School
Scott Remer, Beachwood High School
Hannah Schmidt, Brush High School, Lyndhurst
Zachery Schwartz, Solon High School
Sherry Tanious, Solon High School
Divya Thomas, Kenston High School
Ciera L. West, Whitney Young High School, Cleveland
Allyson Zabell, Orange High School
Stop The Hate: Youth Speak Out is generously sponsored by Dealer Tire and KeyBank.
