First Place:
Becky Cartee-Haring
Central Bucks West High School
In studying a unit on Argument and Fallacies, Becky has each student understand how they have been impacted personally by bias and prejudice and then applying that understanding by reading other examples and exploring one on their own, Becky is able to help teach the kind of thinking needed when they encounter more emotional arguments involving gender, race, religion, etc. This is a lesson that provides a foundation of how to think and understand the powerful use of bias and stereotypes that they hopefully never forget.
Over the past two years, Becky has added the end of unit assessment where the students take the lesson all the way into a final product where they get to choose a stereotype, research views and implication and present that information in an op-ed, a video/podcast or an infographic.
First Place:
Dr. James Massey
Unami Middle School
Dr. Massey sees his work as a "way of being", a series of small and intentional choices that allow him to work in deeper lessons about our shared humanity in an attempt to help his students to be more thoughtful and empathetic participants in a democratic society.
Honorable Mention:
Mary McDonald
Central Bucks West High School
As a result of participating in an Anti-Defamation League training, a group called West Ambassadors was formed (now West United) with a goal to continue to share the messages from the ADL into the classrooms. Starting with just a small group of students in 2018 - over the course of four years Mary McDonald was able to complete a number of impactful initiatives outlined in her application.
Honorable Mention:
Andrew Burgess
Beca Dunst
Kelsey Hughes
Lenape Middle School
For several years, Lenape Middle School was enrolled in the No Place for Hate program. The No Place for Hate program is sponsored by the Anti-Defamation League. To achieve No Place for Hate status, the school must create and maintain a Peer Leadership program, a staff committee, and implement at least three building-wide lessons designed to address school climate, with a goal of making schools safe and welcoming spaces for all students. Peer Leaders informed the committee that there were some issues in the school that could be addressed with lessons related to antisemitism, and the impact of hurtful words and slurs.