Two Tulpehocken elementary schools were designated No Place For Hate during school ceremonies on Sept. 1. This is Penn-Bernville Elementary’s 10th year and Bethel Elementary’s 8th year earning the designation.
Students and faculty at Penn-Bernville Elementary School and Bethel Elementary School in the Tulpehocken School District celebrated their designations as No Place for Hate after completing one year of anti-bias and anti-bullying programs.
Lisa Friedlander, No Place for Hate Project Director, presented each school with its official designation banner.
According to a release, “To earn this distinction, each school formed a No Place for Hate committee, adopted a resolution pledging to create a more inclusive school, and implemented a number of projects promoting respect for differences.”
This year Penn-Bernville and Bethel worked together on multiple projects. For one project, “Diversity is Cool,” the students learned about cultures from various countries. Combined those cultures make up the USA’s cultural mix.
“The goal was to provide students with information about other cultures and to celebrate those culture’s beliefs and traditions,” according to the release.
To help students learn about the Chinese culture, Chinese Acrobats performed. Students were encouraged to ask questions about the Chinese culture.
Their final project was a “Holidays Around the World” celebration.
“Students learned about holiday traditions around the world,” according to the release.
The event included crafts and activities from various cultural holiday traditions. There were alternate winter craft ideas for those who chose not to participate in holiday celebrations.
“This project also allowed students to share ways that their families celebrate the holidays and gave minority students the chance to teach about their beliefs and celebrations,” stated in the release.
Penn-Bernville and Bethel elementaries are among more than 220 schools across eastern Pennsylvania, southern New Jersey and Delaware participating in the No Place for Hate program, following Governor Ed Rendell’s endorsement in 2006.
For more about No Place for Hate, visit www.noplaceforhate.org.