Keyana Tolbert
Burke County Middle School
Waynesboro, Georgia

Keyana Tolbert is an 11-year-old student at Burke County Middle School in Waynesboro, Georgia. She participated in the MindOH! Foundation's 2002 Character's Cool Contest, and won an Experience Music Project Prize Pack.

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 he felt upon learning about the September 11th attacks, Keyana felt surprised. Keyana's parents and school both talked to her about the events of September 11th.

When asked about school violence, Keyana wrote that she has seen someone being bullied in her school. According to Keyana, Burke County Middle School writes students up to prevent bullying and violence.

Keyana thinks it's important for young people to learn how to manage their anger and resolve conflicts peacefully, and that it's important to be respectful of others, even when you disagree. Character qualities Keyana thinks people need to have to reduce violence include Honesty, Respect, Kindness, and Self Control.

Burke County Middle School teaches Keyana about these character qualities. "Counselors teach you to treat others how you want to be treated."

Keyana thinks about and tries to practice these character qualities by being "nice to students who come to school."

The Character's Cool Contest is not the first contest Keyana has won; she won a one-leg race at a family reunion when she was eleven years old. She enjoys playing basketball and baseball, and she looks up to her mother.

"I admire my mother because she respects people and is kind to people," Keyana wrote. "She never teaches me to pick on other people."

Keyana thinks her school is nice and always clean. "My favorite teachers are Mrs. Mobley and Mrs. Stewart. They took us on lots of trips. I paid close attention in their classes. I like to talk on the phone with my friends and social studies is my favorite subject."

If Keyana could travel anywhere in the world, "I would go to Hawaii because it seems beautiful"

When she grows up, Keyana wants to be a lawyer and defend people's rights. She is kind, sweet, shy, hilarious and unorganized, and if she could give one piece of advice to other students across the United States about stopping school violence, Keyana wrote: "[Violence] will get them in the cold shoulder by everyone and they won't ever have friends. It's not worth it."