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Six LBJ Middle School students took part in the Prejudice Awareness Summit at the State Capital on Tuesday, October 27. The PAS is an intensive daylong workshop to increase ethnic and cultural awareness among middle school students at a critical time in their personal and social development. The Jewish Women International has organized the PAS in Austin for over the past ten years. Students participated in activities that explored issues of identity, name calling and bullying, issues that closely relate to and intertwine with prejudice and stereotyping. The eighth grade students who were chosen by their teachers for their leadership skills and participated in the PAS are:Anthony Capra, Katelyn Barrientes, Eduardo Martinez, Taylor Kay, Whitney Wood and Jose Mesa.

The students are very interested in having our middle school earn the designation of a No Place for Hate campus. The No Place for Hate® initiative provides educators and students with the resources to ensure that anti-bias and diversity education are an integral part of the school curriculum. No Place for Hate® also helps to create and sustain inclusive school environments where all students feel valued and have the opportunity to succeed by promoting respect for individual differences while challenging bigotry and prejudice. They have formed a No Place for Hate club to organize activities to promote inclusion.

The PAS students will help organize the Mix It Up Day on November 12. Mix It Up Day is a nationwide campaign that supports students who want to identify, question, and cross social boundaries that separate them from each other and help build respect and an inclusive environment. During the lunch period, students are encouraged to sit with someone they may not know well and make an effort to talk and learn about each other.