The Plymouth No Place for Hate Committee, a committee of the Town of Plymouth, presented its seventh annual Outstanding Citizenship Award to two Plymouth High School students at the July 9 Select Board Meeting. The purpose of this award is to recognize a student who has shown a commitment to social justice by challenging discrimination or bigotry through his/her actions, and/or who actively works to celebrate diversity and inclusivity or to protect the civil rights of all people in our community. A financial gift is included.
The first recipient of this year’s award is Mackenzie Kelly, a 2024 graduate of Plymouth South High School. She was nominated by Jessica Fisher, a teacher and club advisor of Kenzie’s.
Fisher writes, “As a member of the International Club, Kenzie was always willing to learn about different cultures. This led her to study French, Latin, and Italian as well as travel to France and Italy. This year, Plymouth South established a Connections Club for native Portuguese-speaking students. Kenzie was immediately interested in joining, not because she knows Portuguese, but because she wanted to learn from her peers and demonstrate support for those English learners new to the Plymouth Community.”
In Kenzie’s words, “I was the first non-Brazilian student to join the club and meet the students, and this caused several other no-Brazilian students to become interested and join the club, creating more interactions between these groups.”
Kenzie has also worked to learn more about and encourage a greater understanding of two other marginalized groups in society: the elderly and homeless. First, Kenzie has been a four-year member of the Interact Club and has volunteered at many programs at a local senior living facility including holiday sing-alongs, luncheons, and “senior proms.” Second, Kenzie has been volunteering for four years to feed, gather warm clothing for, and socialize with the local homeless population.
As Co-President of the Interact Club this year she recruited other students to assist with the work of the Plymouth Task Force to End Homelessness. Four times over the year they shopped for the food, prepared, and served it at a local shelter. “Sometimes,” Kenzie told us, “we get to eat with them after they have all been served, and interact with the guests. I think that it causes everyone in the Club to feel more empathetic toward others, because you never know what someone is going through, and having a meal served to them might be the best part of their day.”
When asked what motivates her in these activities, Kenzie explained: “I like being involved in my community, helping others, and creating connections. Furthermore, seeing the work my mom has done for our school, neighborhood, and town has really meant a lot to me. She inspires me to be a good person and give back to others.”
The second recipient is Trevor Anderson, a 2024 graduate of Rising Tide Charter Public School. He was nominated by Isabella Trauttmansdorf, his college and future-planning counselor.
Trevor’s list of extracurricular activities is extensive: The Diversity/Belonging/Inclusion/Equity Student Work Group, student government, Service Learning Club, Junior Classical League, News Club, and the Student Advisory Work Group.
According to Trauttmansdorf, “Trevor does not participate just to participate; service and social awareness and connection are core values for him. During his Junior year, Trevor was given the opportunity to create a club, the Student Advisory Work Group. At Rising Tide, the group meets twice weekly with the flexibility for students to address non-academic topics which are relevant to the school community, whether it’s global events or social issues within the student body. Trevor felt the need to make some changes in the advisory group’s lessons and brought together a number of students who have planned effective and impactful lessons on such topics as microaggressions, stereotypes, and bias.”
This year, Trevor participated in Rising Tide’s Internship program, and interned at Positively Partners, a Boston-based HR consulting firm specializing in equity-based approaches. Trevor performed a mini audit of his school’s policies and practices related to diversity, equity, and inclusion which included conducting interviews with school administrators and teachers, doing research on DEI best practices for schools, and then put together a presentation to share results and recommendations to improve the school’s DEI efforts.
His internship mentor, Kaden Mohamed, notes that “Trevor was passionate about this work and eager to find a way to help his school community be a more inclusive and welcoming space for all students regardless of their identities or backgrounds.” His Rising Tide counselor concludes, “We are proud of Trevor for the sincerity and commitment he brings to DEI and DBIE issues at Rising Tide, and we are confident that he will make a positive impact on the world.”
When asked what motivates him to engage in DEI and DBIE work, Trevor explained that “sometimes people make comments or jokes that can be hurtful to someone in a minority group, even if they have the best of intentions. Usually, they just lack the knowledge or perspective of the minority group that would allow them to understand why their comment or joke was hurtful. That is why DEI/DBIE is so important. It can help educate others and help them to gain more perspective on other people and cultures.”
If you wish to help the No Place for Hate Committee to fund future Outstanding Citizenship Awards, you may send a check to Town of Plymouth, Attn. Treasurer, 26 Court Street, Plymouth, MA, 02360. Please make your check payable to the Town of Plymouth. The awards are funded solely through private donations.
For more information about the No Place for Hate Committee, see its Facebook page or website.
– Jon Plate
Plate is co-chair of the Plymouth No Place for Hate Committee.