(CLEVELAND, Ohio) — Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost commended 10 Cleveland students for their captivating essays offering ideas for reducing youth violence in their communities.
“Cleveland, welcome to the Do the Write Thing family!” Yost said in a video message to the participating students at Cleveland Metropolitan School District. “I know you’re going to bring incredible energy, ideas and passion to this important conversation.”
Do the Write Thing, established in 1994 by the National Campaign to Stop Youth Violence, empowers students to reflect, heal and lead through their writing.
Yost’s office has partnered with the nonprofit agency since 2021 to bring the program to Ohio schools. The Springfield district was the first to participate, with Canton, Lima, Youngstown and Zanesville districts joining in later years.
This year is Cleveland’s first, with the district receiving more than 155 submissions from students at that Dike School of the Arts, Joseph M. Gallagher School, Luis Muñoz Marin School, Walton School and William Rainey Harper School.
The finalists were recognized last night during an award ceremony at the Arnold Pinkney East Professional Center, which was also attended by the students’ parents and teachers as well as community leaders.
Business leaders and community members judged the essays, selecting the 10 to be published in a booklet that will be distributed statewide.
One of the finalists, Carolina Cornier-Mariani, will represent the district in July at the Do the Write Thing National Recognition in Washington, D.C., alongside a peer from each of the other participating Ohio districts.
Dr. Warren Morgan, superintendent of the Cleveland district, praised his students’ writing efforts.
“Your willingness to share your thoughts, experiences, and ideas through writing is truly inspiring,” Morgan wrote in a letter included in the booklet. “Writing is a powerful tool and, through your words, you have not only expressed yourself but also contributed to an important conversation about change.”
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