Community Corner
LBHS Student Receives Nassau County Friedlander Upstander Award
Holocaust Memorial and Tolerance Center selected Shannon Sondergaard as recipient of this first annual honor.
The Holocaust Memorial and Tolerance Center of Nassau County selected Long Beach High School freshman Shannon Sondergaard as the recipient of the first annual Nassau County Friedlander Upstander Award for her efforts to end racism and bullying.
Having been chosen from a pool of 50 applicants, Sondergaard was presented with a $2,500 scholarship award, given by the Claire Friedlander Family Foundation via the Holocaust Memorial and Tolerance Center of Nassau County.
Shannon is a founding member of Long Beach High School’s Anti-Bullying Club (The ABC), a group of nearly 30 students dedicated to finding ways to resolve bullying in schools. She and her fellow club members were key presenters at the Long Island Youth Safety Coalition Internet Safety and Bullying Prevention Conference at Hofstra University on March 29.
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Club members created an Anti-Bullying Pledge, which was signed by them and many of their classmates. They have also made presentations to their younger peers at Long Beach Middle School, dramatizing how important it is to stand up to bullies, instead of being a witness to bullying who does nothing.
“We nominated Shannon for this award because she is a true upstander,” said ABC co-advisor Jaclyn Gallinaro, who supervises the club with Phil Bruno. “One of her friends was being bullied online, and rather than sit by, Shannon told the students who were writing negative comments to stop … and they did. We felt that she should be praised for her independent spirit and courage.”
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The mission of the Holocaust Memorial and Tolerance Center of Nassau County is to teach the history of the Holocaust and its lessons through education and community outreach. The organization teaches about the dangers of anti-Semitism, racism, bullying and all other manifestations of intolerance. It also promotes resistance to prejudice and advocates respect for every human being.
“Ms. Sondergaard embodies our mission and exemplifies all that we teach in our education programs,” said Dr. Sarah M. Cushman, director of Youth Education for the Holocaust Memorial and Tolerance Center of Nassau County.
