NORTH RIDGEVILLE — A group of North Ridgeville middle school students earned regional recognition after winning the middle school songwriting contest in the Maltz Museum’s Stop the Hate program, beating out more than 3,600 student submissions from over 150 schools across Northeast Ohio.
The winning students were part of Ms. Kelly Koehler’s 8th grade honors ELA class at the North Ridgeville Academic Center, where they wrote and recorded an original song titled “We Will Rise.”
Superintendent/CEO Roxann Ramsey-Caserio recognized the students during the April 21 North Ridgeville City Schools Board of Education meeting, calling the achievement “a truly special opportunity” to celebrate students and staff whose work reflect “the very best” of the school community.
“This year alone, more than 3,600 students from across over 150 schools submitted original work which consisted of songwriting, essays, poetry — really an inspiring testament to the power of what is our student voice,” Ramsey-Caserio said during the meeting .
The contest, now in its 18th year, is run by the Maltz Museum and encourages students across Northeast Ohio to use creative writing and artistic expression to promote inclusion, kindness and understanding.
Ramsey-Caserio said the class’s original song opened the awards ceremony and left a strong impression on the audience.
“It really was an inspiring piece that actually opened up this entire show for the entire audience at the honor ceremony,” she said .
Their first-place finish also earned a $3,000 grant for the Academic Center, which district officials said will support future student opportunities .
Several students attended the board meeting with their families and were publicly recognized for the achievement.
In addition to the songwriting victory, two North Ridgeville students were also named essay finalists in the middle school division.
Caleb Lehman, a sixth grader, and Reagan Eichenlaub, an eighth grader, were both runners-up in their respective grade levels and each earned $100 awards for their essays.
The district also recognized Koehler as the Stop the Hate Teacher of the Year for her continued work fostering kindness, inclusion and encouraging students to stand up for what they believe in.
Gifted Intervention teacher Ms. Kelly Koehler of the North Ridgeville Academic Center was named Teacher of the Year for the regional program.
“She was named Stop the Hate Teacher of the Year in honor of her continued dedication to fostering kindness, inclusion, and empowering our students to stand up for what they believe in,” Ramsey-Caserio said .
While Koehler was unable to attend the board meeting, district officials said her impact was clearly reflected through the success of her students.
Board members and administrators praised both the students and staff for representing North Ridgeville on a regional stage and bringing home one of the top honors in the competition.
