The Mountain States Office of the Anti-Defamation League designated forty-five schools from across Colorado as No Place for Hate® after the schools completed a year-long effort to create equitable, safe and respectful environments. Schools from Denver, Aurora, Boulder, Fort Collins, Nederland, Greeley, Cherry Creek, Colorado Springs, and Durango attended the designation ceremony in Aurora on April 11.
It takes hard work to create an inclusive and respectful school community. “You just don’t open the window of your school and all the hate leaves,” said Manhattan Middle School principal Robyn Fernandez. “You have to be intentional and persistent in changing the culture of your school.” ADL honored Boulder’s Manhattan Middle School and Academy District 20’s Pine Creek High School with the Positive Impact! Award for their five-year commitment to the No Place for Hate® campaign. Jamie Van Leeuwen, Governor Hickenloooper’s Senior Advisor and Director of Community Partnerships, read a proclamation from the Governor declaring April 11, 2012, “No Place for Hate® Day” in Colorado.
Bruce Caughey, Executive Director of the Colorado Association of School Executives (CASE), shared personal stories of challenges he experienced in his youth as it related to name-calling and bullying. He stressed the importance for administrators, teachers and faculty to take the time to create welcoming and safe climates on their campuses.
Teachers, administrators and ADL volunteers gathered at Aurora Public Schools Professional Learning Conference Center to celebrate achieving their goal of being designated No Place for Hate®. ADL presented each school with a designation banner to display in a prominent place.
The Mountain States Office of the Anti-Defamation League has offered the No Place for Hate® initiative to schools since 2007. This year’s program reached 41,000 students across Colorado.
The following schools earned banners recognizing their efforts in 2011-2012 No Place for Hate® campaign:
•Adventure Elementary at Western Hills (Mapleton) •Aurora Frontier K-8 (Aurora) •Aurora Hills Middle (Aurora) •Berthoud High School (Thompson R2J) •Bill Reed Middle School (Thompson R2J) •Boulder High School (Boulder Valley) •Catalyst High School (Boulder Valley) •Centennial Elementary School (Greeley-Evans 6) •Century Elementary (Aurora) •Cherry Creek High School (Cherry Creek District 5) •Columbia Middle School (Aurora) •Conrad Ball Middle School (Thompson R2J) •Cottonwood Plains Elementary (Thompson R2J) •Dalton Elementary School (Aurora) •Denver School of the Arts (Denver) •Durango High School (Durango 9-R) •East High School (Denver) •Escalante Middle School (Durango 9-R) •Ferguson High School (Thompson R2J) •Franklin Middle School (Weld County SD 6) •Gateway High School (Aurora) •Grandview High School (Cherry Creek District 5) •Greeley West High School (Weld County SD 6) •Iowa Elementary School (Aurora) •Isaac Newton Middle School (Littleton) •Lincoln Elementary School (Thompson R2J) •Lucile Erwin Middle School (Thompson R2J) •Manhattan Middle School (Boulder Valley) •Miller Middle School (Durango 9-R) •Monarch K-8 (Boulder Valley) •Murphy Creek K-8 (Aurora) •Nederland Middle/High School (Boulder Valley) •Nevin Platt Middle School (Boulder Valley) •North Middle School Health Sciences (Aurora) •Paris Elementary School (Aurora) •Pine Creek High School (Academy District 20) •Prairie View High School (Brighton 27J) •Rampart High School (Academy District 20) •Rangeview High School (Aurora) •Sarah Milner Elementary School (Thompson R2J) •Southern Hills Middle School (Boulder Valley) •Turner Middle School (Thompson R2J) •University Schools (Weld County SD 6) •Vista Peak (Aurora) •Walt Clark Middle School (Thompson R2J)