Apr. 28, 2022 -- Monticello Middle School eighth grader Chelsea Gipson has won 2nd place in her grade level division in the 14th Annual Stop the Hate® Youth Speak Out & Youth Sing Out Contest held by the Maltz Museum of Jewish Heritage.
Around 3,000 students enter the Stop the Hate contest each year, and Chelsea is one of 20 finalists. This year, students were asked to think about a time they witnessed or experienced acts of injustice, racism, bigotry, or discrimination, and write about how they responded (or will respond) in order to create positive change. Read Chelsea's essay
here on page 19.
At Monticello, Chelsea is a member of the National Junior Honor Society, Power of the Pen, Minority Student Achievement Network, and the basketball team.
The Stop the Hate contest has two components: Youth Speak Out, essay writing for individual students, and Youth Sing Out, songwriting for classrooms. Both celebrate Northeast Ohio upstanders in grades 6-12 who are committed to creating a more accepting, inclusive society.
The contest annually awards $100,000 in scholarships and prizes to middle and high school students speaking out against bias and bigotry through essay writing and songwriting. Since the contest began 14 years ago, the Maltz Museum has awarded $1.4 million to students and schools across 12 Northeast Ohio counties, with an estimated reach of nearly 40,000 young people.
Visit the
Maltz Museum’s website to read the inspiring essays and listen to the empowering songs penned by Northeast Ohio students.