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Activities

2008's Nationwide Creative Expression Contest

Thank you to all the students who participated in last year's SPEAK UP Creative Expression Contest! We received many outstanding essays, drawings, poems, posters and graphic designs, and eventually narrowed the selection to two top entries.

Congratulations to Chris Amat, an 11th grade student at Sayreville War Memorial High School who submitted a poem titled “With Open Eyes I’ve Realized,” and EJ Bermudez, a 7th grade student at Westwood Jr./Sr. High School who submitted an essay titled “School Violence.”

Following is Chris Amat's poem "With Open Eyes I've Realized":

Not too long ago, I came to a realization/
That the main complication with human collaboration is lack of communication/

See, I've come to the realization that,
people are fast to talk trash, despite not knowing the whole story/
Listen to the 1st half then they ignore me/
Their minds drift as they take and twist the story/
And create the annoyance we all know, as rumors/
Then others are quick to jump to conclusions/
Seeking satisfaction in violence, such an illusion/
'Cause see, I dont pick up a fight/
I'd rather sit down and write/
The pen is my weapon, and I know how to use it right/

'Cause see, I've come to the realization that,
Violence doesn't solve problems, it just causes retaliation/
So I say, restore pacification/
Stop the racial discriminations/
Stop the murders and assassinations/
We need to address the nation/
'Cause it's our obligation to asses the situation/
We are the future, our generation/
The future leaders of a new civilization/

So if you understand what I say, and can agree with me/
Stand up for what you believe/
Don't let your voice be silenced/
With open eyes I've realized, that we can stop the violence/

Following is an excerpt from EJ Bermudez's essay "School Violence":

Ways that other students can help prevent school violence is when they see a student who might not have as many friends and invite them to places. Just take a little time to say hi, or help them. Also if we see violence is about to occur or happening we can try to stop it. Maybe if students just say how it was like to be an “outsider” and not have all the friends, all the clothes, and all the money they would be more willing to help other kids. We just need to be more understanding and help when we can. Also if us kids notice signs that someone might be having trouble and might do something they will regret to tell an adult. If kids can notice these things we can help stop school violence, like the Virginia Tech shooting. If they can help just one person it could save many people in a big way. Click here to read EJ's entire essay.

Excerpts from Other Notable Entries

6th grader, Hannah, created the picture below. She also submitted an essay that included the following suggestion:
Here are some tips if you are getting bullied. Don't think it's your fault, nobody should get bullied. Never take revenge on the person that is bullying you just because you're mad and hurting. Tell somebody, never keep it to yourself. Don't think you're a tattletale if you tell somebody that you're being bullied, and don't beat yourself up. It's just a bully. I know it may feel like you're helpless and have nowhere to run and hide, but don't beat yourself up just because you're getting bullied.

Click on image to enlarge

Kelsey, an 11-year-old student from New York wrote:
So the question is what can students do to help prevent violence in schools? Kids have to stand up for other kids too. Instead of sitting around watching verbal, physical, and emotional threats and bullying we need to report bullying to school authorities or police. Kids should refuse to bring weapons to schools or carry a weapon for someone else. Kids should never keep quiet about those who are carrying weapons.

Spenser, a 7th grader wrote in his essay titled “How We Can Prevent Violence in Schools”:
The way I think we can all help prevent school violence is that maybe the students of the school that really care about school violence can form a group where we all can talk about what’s bothering us deep inside. We can also get everybody’s number so if that person needs help expressing themselves or need someone to talk to we can be there for them in their time of need. Another way that we can help prevent school violence is if every student takes an oath that they won’t act out in violence instead they can either write it out or maybe even talk it out with somebody that they feel comfortable with.

Margaret, a 10th grader from Washington, shared the following:
Violence and weapons is a serious thing. They are both harmful and hurtful things that can affect the kind of person you are, or will become. People are better off not using these to cover up a mess they have made or started. Doing this will only cause you to waste more of your time and get your problems caught in a web. Once you start doing things that are under the influence, you will want to carry on to duplicate it over and over because you rely on it. To be real, it isn’t fun at all if you think about the outcomes. I want to see a change in people and how they become more aware of how violence and weapons are affecting our daily lives, and the people around us.

Ayesha expressed her thoughts in a poem titled “Be In The Know.” Here are a few lines:
If you ask what you can do to stop the violence, set up posters, be role models and don’t live in a world of defiance.

Violence scars inside and out, guns, knives, and weapons are not what school’s about.

Kids come to school to learn, to be successful, and to grow, but it’s possible violence is in our school, so be in the know.

Updates
We would love to hear about your events! Please email speakup@paxusa.org to let us know how you celebrated Safe Schools Week. This allows us show off your results to other educators around the country. As always, we'd love to see photos of any project or activity you do!

Join the Cause Online!
Support school violence prevention by becoming a friend of Speak Up on MySpace, and also by joining the group 1-866-SPEAK-UP on Facebook.



	Activities 2008's Nationwide Creative Expression Contest Thank you to all the students who participated in last year's SPEAK UP Creative Expression Contest! We received many outstanding essays, drawings, poems, posters and graphic designs, and eventually narrowed the selection to two top entries. Congratulations to Chris Amat, an 11th grade student at Sayreville War Memorial High School who submitted a poem titled “With Open Eyes I’ve Realized,” and EJ Bermudez, a 7th grade student at Westwood Jr./Sr. High School who submitted an essay titled “School Violence.” Following is Chris Amat's poem "With Open Eyes I've Realized": Not too long ago, I came to a realization/ That the main complication with human collaboration is lack of communication/ See, I've come to the realization that, people are fast to talk trash, despite not knowing the whole story/ Listen to the 1st half then they ignore me/ Their minds drift as they take and twist the story/ And create the annoyance we all know, as rumors/ Then others are quick to jump to conclusions/ Seeking satisfaction in violence, such an illusion/ 'Cause see, I dont pick up a fight/ I'd rather sit down and write/ The pen is my weapon, and I know how to use it right/ 'Cause see, I've come to the realization that, Violence doesn't solve problems, it just causes retaliation/ So I say, restore pacification/ Stop the racial discriminations/ Stop the murders and assassinations/ We need to address the nation/ 'Cause it's our obligation to asses the situation/ We are the future, our generation/ The future leaders of a new civilization/ So if you understand what I say, and can agree with me/ Stand up for what you believe/ Don't let your voice be silenced/ With open eyes I've realized, that we can stop the violence/ Following is an excerpt from EJ Bermudez's essay "School Violence": Ways that other students can help prevent school violence is when they see a student who might not have as many friends and invite them to places. Just take a little time to say hi, or help them. Also if we see violence is about to occur or happening we can try to stop it. Maybe if students just say how it was like to be an “outsider” and not have all the friends, all the clothes, and all the money they would be more willing to help other kids. We just need to be more understanding and help when we can. Also if us kids notice signs that someone might be having trouble and might do something they will regret to tell an adult. If kids can notice these things we can help stop school violence, like the Virginia Tech shooting. If they can help just one person it could save many people in a big way. Click here to read EJ's entire essay. Excerpts from Other Notable Entries 6th grader, Hannah, created the picture below. She also submitted an essay that included the following suggestion: Here are some tips if you are getting bullied. Don't think it's your fault, nobody should get bullied. Never take revenge on the person that is bullying you just because you're mad and hurting. Tell somebody, never keep it to yourself. Don't think you're a tattletale if you tell somebody that you're being bullied, and don't beat yourself up. It's just a bully. I know it may feel like you're helpless and have nowhere to run and hide, but don't beat yourself up just because you're getting bullied. Click on image to enlarge Kelsey, an 11-year-old student from New York wrote: So the question is what can students do to help prevent violence in schools? Kids have to stand up for other kids too. Instead of sitting around watching verbal, physical, and emotional threats and bullying we need to report bullying to school authorities or police. Kids should refuse to bring weapons to schools or carry a weapon for someone else. Kids should never keep quiet about those who are carrying weapons. Spenser, a 7th grader wrote in his essay titled “How We Can Prevent Violence in Schools”: The way I think we can all help prevent school violence is that maybe the students of the school that really care about school violence can form a group where we all can talk about what’s bothering us deep inside. We can also get everybody’s number so if that person needs help expressing themselves or need someone to talk to we can be there for them in their time of need. Another way that we can help prevent school violence is if every student takes an oath that they won’t act out in violence instead they can either write it out or maybe even talk it out with somebody that they feel comfortable with. Margaret, a 10th grader from Washington, shared the following: Violence and weapons is a serious thing. They are both harmful and hurtful things that can affect the kind of person you are, or will become. People are better off not using these to cover up a mess they have made or started. Doing this will only cause you to waste more of your time and get your problems caught in a web. Once you start doing things that are under the influence, you will want to carry on to duplicate it over and over because you rely on it. To be real, it isn’t fun at all if you think about the outcomes. I want to see a change in people and how they become more aware of how violence and weapons are affecting our daily lives, and the people around us. Ayesha expressed her thoughts in a poem titled “Be In The Know.” Here are a few lines: If you ask what you can do to stop the violence, set up posters, be role models and don’t live in a world of defiance. Violence scars inside and out, guns, knives, and weapons are not what school’s about. Kids come to school to learn, to be successful, and to grow, but it’s possible violence is in our school, so be in the know. Updates We would love to hear about your events! Please email speakup@paxusa.org to let us know how you celebrated Safe Schools Week. This allows us show off your results to other educators around the country. As always, we'd love to see photos of any project or activity you do! Join the Cause Online! Support school violence prevention by becoming a friend of Speak Up on MySpace, and also by joining the group 1-866-SPEAK-UP on Facebook.