State Honoree

Noah Robertson, 14, of Iuka, Miss., an eighth-grader at Iuka Middle School, designed and implemented an anti-bullying campaign that culminated in a rally attended by the entire student body at his school. "My best friend is autistic and I continually see people treating him in a bullying manner," said Noah. He has seen many other students at his school suffer at the hands of bullies, too, and has even been bullied himself. "I felt I needed to do something to help everyone in my school understand that bullying causes long-term damage, and we need to stand up for one another."

With support from school officials, Noah began researching all aspects of bullying, and then developed a brochure explaining different types of bullying, the signs of bullying, and ways to prevent it. To get it printed, he persuaded a local organization to provide funding. Next, Noah created four performance skits and an audio/video slideshow about bullying, which he presented at a schoolwide rally. Afterwards, each student was asked to sign a "no-bullying" contract that Noah designed, and three drop-boxes that he built were placed around the school so students can anonymously report incidents of bullying. His campaign struck such a chord that his school plans to continue it from year to year, and other schools in the district have expressed interest in using it.