WAKEFIELD — Massachusetts Partnerships for Youth (MPY) is proud to announce that nine students from across the Commonwealth have been chosen as winners of this year’s annual poster project on the theme “Peace Brings the World Together.”
MPY has hosted the poster project since 2009 to engage students on important topics and provide a platform for their voices. There were 441 submissions made by students this year.
The theme — Peace Brings the World Together — was inspired by the Louis D. Brown Peace Institute, based in Boston. Louis D. Brown was a 15-year-old sophomore who was killed in a crossfire in Dorchester in 1993 while he was walking to a Teens Against Gang Violence meeting. His parents co-founded the Peace Institute in 1994 to honor their son’s legacy and to continue the peacemaking work he believed in.
“Each year our poster project empowers students to find confidence in their voices as they respond to MPY’s theme. The posters submitted this year reflect the importance of building school cultures of respect and inclusivity,” said Executive Director Daniels. “I would like to thank the students who made creative and expressive submissions this year. The positive messages and talents of young people are an inspiration.”
This year’s winners at the elementary school level are:
- First Place — fifth-grader Jonathan Nguyen, of the George Keverian School in Everett
- Honorable Mention — fifth-grader Zoe Zohn, of the Carlton Innovation School in Salem
- Honorable Mention — fifth-grader Lucas Hanson, of the Forestdale School in Malden
This year’s winners at the middle school level are:
- First Place — eighth-grader Tianxin Wang, of the Forestdale School in Malden
- Honorable Mention — seventh-grader Charlotte Berliner, of the Beebe School in Malden
- Honorable Mention — seventh-grader Yingyan Xia, of the Beebe School in Malden
This year’s winners at the high school level are:
- First Place — Senior Katie Noh, of Bedford High School
- Honorable Mention — Sophomore Maiti Halloran, of Nashoba Valley Technical High School in Westford
- Honorable Mention — Junior Anne LaMotte, of Southeastern Regional Vocational Technical High School in Easton
This year’s project challenged participants to focus on the seven principles of peace, which are Love, Unity, Faith, Hope, Courage, Justice, and Forgiveness.
Students were encouraged to consider ways to promote peace and understanding with diverse school and community members; ways to treat people with dignity and compassion; ways to build skills to address and challenge racism in schools and communities; ways to bridge differences with others and find common ground; ways to resolve disputes without violence; and ways to speak out against prejudice and discrimination.
The Public Service Announcement (PSA) Project is currently underway, with the same theme – Peace Brings the World Together. Submissions are due on April 2, 2022. To download a submission form, visit https://massachusettspartnershipsforyouth.com/.
About the Massachusetts Partnerships for Youth, Inc.
Massachusetts Partnerships for Youth, Inc. is a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization that provides training, fosters collaboration, and develops programming to increase the health and safety of students. MPY is committed to bringing cutting-edge information and high-quality trainings to constituents and endeavors to provide solution-oriented, community-based, multi-disciplinary approaches to reducing and ideally eliminating risky behaviors for youth.
Massachusetts Partnerships for Youth is governed by a Board of Directors made up of school superintendents, police and fire chiefs, and other community leaders who work closely with MPY staff to deliver this mission.
