'No Place for Hate' At Mount Vernon's Edward Williams School

MOUNT VERNON, NY — The warmth evident at the Edward Williams School made it clear that the love shared by a community leaves no room for hate.

The hallways were filled with banners with encouraging messages like "No place for hate" and "We are all different, but we all matter." Students were busy taking part in classroom activities to learn about the "No Place for Hate" initiative.

"At Edward Williams, there is no place for hate," said Principal Crystal Waterman.

Edward Williams students spent the last day of class before the weekend creating projects and leading group discussions about anti-bullying. The children learned not only about what bullying is, but shared common bonds from each other's cultures. The youngsters took quiet moments to share personal experiences of times when they were bullied or helped someone in need.

"We discussed what makes up our identities and who we are as individual people," sixth grader Randanique Morgan said. "We are all different and that is okay."

Second graders Angelica Cruz-Barrios and Jhonesti White discussed what "No Place for Hate" means to them.

"We are all different," White said. "You can tell by looking at all of us that we are different, but that doesn’t mean that we aren’t friends."

"We had so much fun coloring and creating the banner," Cruz-Barrios added. "It was fun to work together with everyone."

Each grade collaborated together to cover an overall theme that was summarized on each grade's banner. All themes focused on anti-bullying.

"Everyone is on board from pre-k to eighth grade," Assistant Principal Gregory Casey said. "It is really great to see everyone come together."

Find out more about the Mount Vernon City School District on their website.