JACKSONVILLE - Duval County Public Schools (DCPS) middle and high school students were recognized last night for their participation in the district's Paper Clips project at a special ceremony honoring their work.
The Paper Clips project was an assignment offered by the DCPS Council on Educational Equity and Inclusion, a council that formalizes the district’s equity and diversity efforts. Its goal and commitment is to help eliminate the achievement gap by fostering respect for – and celebration of – our diversity; and to promote cultural unity, individual growth, and classroom and workplace harmony.
"This was the council's first project regarding diversity and inclusion offered to students in order to give them a voice to express themselves about issues they face in school, as well as in their communities." said Josephine Jackson, the executive director of the district’s Office of Equity and Inclusion. "It was an opportunity to begin talking about the devastating and long-term consequences of hatred and intolerance, and each individual’s responsibility for creating a respectful and accepting environment."
Students were invited to view the award-winning Paper Clips documentary, which details how Tennessee middle-schoolers from a rural area collected more than 20 million paper clips to honor the victims of the Holocaust. After viewing the documentary, many DCPS students expressed their reactions and feelings about the film in words and visual pieces.
Ten students, whose pieces were selected from the more than 80 submitted, will be sent to Washington, D.C. to visit the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum. The trip was funded by CSX, W.W. Gay Mechanical Contractor, Inc., Wage Peace of Northeast Florida and an anonymous donor.
During the ceremony, which was held at the Cummer Museum of Art & Gardens, students heard from keynote speaker David Smith, who spearheaded the original Tennessee Paper Clips project and helped build a museum to honor the victims.
After having their names announced by Smith, students received certificates and a commemorative book that contained all of the pieces submitted for this year's project.
The students selected to visit the Holocaust Museum are as follows:
Visual Art Selections
Albina Arbatskiy, Sandalwood High School
Elita Cook, Kirby-Smith Middle School
Tiphne Hollis, J.E.B. Stuart Middle School
Kayla Jolley, Sandalwood High School
Cheyenne Light-Smith, Douglas Anderson School of the Arts
Miranda Harrison, Baldwin High School
Written Selections
Natassia McGhee, Kirby-Smith Middle School
Brian Grandle, Kirby-Smith Middle School
William Pendergraft, Kirby-Smith Middle School
Darby Buckley, J.E.B. Stuart Middle School
The recognition ceremony was hosted by the DCPS Council on Educational Equity and Inclusion and sponsored by Community First Credit Union.
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