Amy Thomas
Salisbury- Elk Lick High School
Salisbury, Pennsylvania

Amy Thomas is a 12-year-old student at Salisbury- Elk Lick High School in Salisbury, PA. 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 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, Amy said she was scared because so many people died. She wrote that her parents and school both talked to her about the events of September 11th. Amy said that she did not see students in her school being treated any differently because of the attacks, but that she has seen someone being bullied in her school before.

According to Amy, her school does take measures to prevent bullying and violence. "They made a NO TOUCH policy so no one touches anyone or they get in trouble," she said.

While she does not believe it is important for young people to learn how to manage their anger and resolve conflicts peacefully, she does think that it's important to be respectful of others, even when you disagree. The character qualities she thinks people need to reduce violence are: Honesty, Respect, Responsibility, Kindness, Courage, Cooperation, Tolerance, Love, Patience and Self Control.

Amy said her school teaches those character qualities by talking to students about it, and she practices the character qualities by trying to be nice to her little sister.