No Place for Hate Ceremony Taps Port Chester Students For Performance

PORT CHESTER, NY — Schools are "no place for hate" and five energetic youngsters helped their elementary school declare this truth in a moving way as school leaders and students gathered for a special banner ceremony to mark a promise of inclusiveness and respect in a powerful way.

From the Port Chester Public School District:

Five Edison students performed on the Skirball Center stage at New York University during ADL New York/New Jersey’s No Place for Hate Downstate Elementary Banner Ceremony.

To be awarded as a No Place for Hate school, schools must form a committee of community stakeholders that design and implement at least three schoolwide ADL-approved activities. This year’s NPFH NYS standards-based lessons focused on students developing an understanding of identity, identity-based bias and the tools needed to act against bullying behaviors. Edison’s work with ADL’s antibias framework, No Place for Hate, began in the 2015-2016 school year with Jill Buchholz, special education teacher at Edison, and Jeanine Zaccara, retired Port Chester special education teacher, serving as program coordinators.

This program has allowed students to develop college and career readiness with a global understanding of combating prejudice, embracing their identities and nourishing the mindset that our differences make our world a better place. Thanks to both Kellianne Holland, associate education director, and Spencer Cronin, assistant education director, of ADL New York/New Jersey for giving us this opportunity.

No Place for Hate Banner ceremonies serve as congratulatory events to honor the hard work of dedicated school communities which have completed the program. Designated schools receive a tailored No Place for Hate banner to collect and display in their school with every completed year. Thanks to the amazing student committee second graders, Miranda Farias and Sarah Alcedo, third grade student Eliana Bonilla, and fifth grade students Kevin Rodriguez and Bryan Ladera for their bravery to present on stage at the NYU Skirball Center. They spent months practicing the Edison School Song with a newly composed second verse with the help of music teacher Abigail Young. The new verse was based on the No Place for Hate Pledge. The Edison student committee performed the song for students, parents, teachers and counselors from over 20 schools in the New York Downstate region. They did a great job representing Edison School and Port Chester!

"Of the nearly 20 schools that were present, ours was the school featured to share our work done for No Place for Hate at the ceremony," Young said. "It was a huge honor."

Student committee members sang their No Place for Hate song, unpacked the lyrics line by line and engaged in a Q&A with Holland and Cronin as part of their highlighted "teachable moment." The performance and Q&A session not only demonstrated the students’ commitment to creating a safe, inclusive school climate at Edison but to the larger New York/New Jersey community!