State and local leaders lauded teams of Twin Cities teens Sunday for trying to make their schools safer and more friendly.

Maine Attorney General Steve Rowe joined the Many and One Coalition and Twin Cities Mayors Lionel Guay of Lewiston and Normand Guay of Auburn on Sunday at a Bates College ceremony to honor 50 Lewiston-Auburn students for their work with the state Civil Rights Team project.

Paul Young, coordinator for the Many and One Coalition, said students were given certificates honoring their work. They came from Auburn Middle School, Lewiston Middle School, Edward Little High School and Lewiston High School. Their names couldn’t be released due to privacy concerns.

The Maine Civil Rights Project teaches ways to combat hate violence, prejudice, harassment and bias in the schools. Students work with classroom advisers to learn how to intervene in problems and teach tolerance and understanding to other students.

School advisers to the teams included Sherry Smith and Ruth Becker from Lewiston High School, Karen Boucher from Edward Little High School, Dee Marken from Lewiston Middle School and Carl Bucciantini from Auburn Middle School.