Denise Gerrity
Discovery Middle School
Madison, Alabama

Denise Gerrity is a 14-year-old student at Discovery Middle School in Madison, Alabama. She participated in the MindOH! Foundation's 2002 Character's Cool Contest, and won an Athletes for a Better World Poster.

The Character's Cool Contest was a national contest for middle school students to help stop school violence and to encourage the practice of ethical behavior. Participants completed an online survey about their experiences in the aftermath of Sept 11th, bullying and school violence, and the ethical behavior and character qualities needed to reduce school violence.

When asked about the first emotion she felt upon learning about the September 11th attacks, Denise felt shocked. "I couldn't believe that anything like that could happen to our country. I realized that I didn't live in the perfect world that I thought I did. Everything changed."

Denise's parents and school both talked to her about the events of September 11th. Denise thinks it's possible for one country to bully another country, and she's seen someone being bullied in her school. But, Discovery Middle School takes measures to prevent bullying and violence.

"To prevent bullying and violence, our school suspends or expels the people who violate the rules," Denise wrote. "People know what the consequences are, so they think about their actions before they jump into something like violence or bullying."

Jessica thinks it's important for young people to learn how to manage their anger and resolve conflicts peacefully, and she thinks that it's important to be respectful of others, even when you disagree. She thinks that there are certain character qualities people need to have to reduce violence: Honesty, Respect, Responsibility, Kindness, Courage, Cooperation, Tolerance, Love, Patience, and Self Control.

Discovery Middle School teaches Denise about these character qualities. "Our school is BIG on respect. We are taught to respect teachers, and our fellow students, know matter what the situation is. Self-control is another thing we are taught. If you can't get a grip on your feeling of anger, there's nothing stopping you from getting in to a fight. Anybody can step into a fight and hit somebody, but it takes REAL COURAGE to walk away fro it."

Denise also thinks about and tries to practice these character qualities. "If something somebody does really bothers me, I try to act as mature about it as possible. I wait until I get home and talk about it with my parents. If I get really frustrated, I know I can always scream into a pillow to relieve myself from some of the stress. I know some people who have all of the things that I checked above. I think about them a lot and want to become just like them. They make good choices and act like adults. They have great characteristics. I practice being like them with my friends."

Denise enjoys crafts, competitive cheerleading, and reading. If she could travel anywhere in the world, she would go to France. When she grows up, she would like to be a pediatrician. Denise is sweet, dedicated, hard working, loyal, and energetic. Her piece of advice to other students across the United States about stopping school violence is, "Anyone can become successful with hard work, dedication and perseverance. There is no need to revert to crime."