The Judie Aronson Social Justice Initiative committee is pleased to announce its award selections for the 2021-221 school year. This year’s recipients are: Isabella Miller – May River High School and Kaitlyn McDonagh – Bluffton High School.
Bella saw injustice at her school in the treatment of second language, LGBT students, disabled students, and students of color, then formed the May River Diversity and Multicultural Inclusion Club. This group has acted as a forum for dialogue in the aftermath of student incidents and advocated for gender awareness issues. She participated in the Social Justice Research Academy at the University of Pennsylvania and the ACLU National Advocacy Institute, and has increased awareness of the need for social justice through published articles following
her summer internship through the School of the NY Times and Boston University.
Kaitlyn addressed the issue of food insecurity by contacting local businesses and neighborhoods to solicit both food and monetary donations for families who were struggling as a result of the COVID pandemic. She collected over 10,000 food items and distributed them to more than 50 families in the Bluffton area. As Senior Class president, Katie promoted equity in student events (e.g. the prom and homecoming) by ensuring that fund-raising activities did not highlight student inequities or embarrass those who could not afford to participate.