7th graders win No Name-Calling poster contest

7th graders win No Name-Calling poster contest
This is the image for the news article titled 7th graders win No Name-Calling poster contestWith themes of brightening the world, building up others, and friendship, three Golding Middle School seventh-graders were the winners of the annual No Name-Calling Week poster contest.

Sophia Ruenes took first prize, Abby Cisneros was second and Brynn Crewell placed third. 

More than 50 students entered the contest, a highlight of the school’s programming for No Name-Calling Week, which also included having students sign an anti-bullying pledge and listen to a positive message each day during morning announcements. 

No Name Calling Week, a national event in K-12 schools, was started in 2004 by Simon & Schuster Publishing, in partnership with other advocacy organizations, after being inspired by the young adult book “The Misfits,” in which students organize a No Name-Calling Day at School.

“It’s a week where we try to emphasize the kind ways in which we can treat one another, and we talk about how name calling and other forms of bullying can affect others,” said Tim Osterhoudt, Golding’s dean of students.

Each of the three poster contest winners took a unique approach to expressing No Name-Calling Week’s themes. Here is how each described her work:

Sophia Ruenes

“I was thinking about brightening the world, and how all this bullying is not helping. If we stop bullying, that’s what will brighten our world. On the bottom of my poster are little acts of kindness. If you take one, you can help brighten the world by filling it up with an act of kindness.”

Abby Cisneros

“I watched a video about an artist who was struggling with depression and decided to draw it out. That was where I got the idea. I thought I would draw a person who is building someone with bricks – building someone up, instead of tearing them down.”

Brynn Crewell

“Sometimes I wish I could get away from all the negativity in the world, and I have one person who is there for me all the time. I drew that – the two of us in a bubble that’s away from all the mean words.”