By Tim Stretton,Lewiston Middle School

On Sun. Feb. 13, the Lewiston Middle School Civil Rights Team attended an appreciation ceremony at Bates College. The Many and One Coalition hosted this celebration to honor Civil Rights Teams from Lewiston and Auburn.

Paul Young, the Many and One Coordinator, introduced the different civil rights teams. The main speaker, Tom Harnett, Asst. Attorney General for the State of Maine, spoke about the differences between Civil Rights and Human Rights as they relate to our state.

Sanford High School showed a video that they produced about how the goals of the Civil Rights Team are demonstrated and enforced in their school. In my opinion it was an excellent movie.

The LMS Team presented “The History of The Lewiston Middle School Civil Rights Team.” This told about the various activities and presentations that the team has been involved with since 2000. One highlight was the song and dance performance of “Lean on Me” featured at the Pride Assembly this year. Other teams spoke about some of the activities in which they have been involved this school year.

Toward the end of the afternoon, Paul Young and Lionel Guay, Mayor of Lewiston, presented team advisors, including Mrs. Deanna Marken and Ms. Sheryl Smith of LMS, with framed certificates of appreciation. All Civil Rights Team members received certificates and were each recognized for their efforts at their schools and for their involvement with their communities.

Present from LMS were: Suzanne Assam, Christina Zahn, Tim Stretton, Hanan Ahmed, Doug Lalonde. Lindsay Carr, Delila Dickey, Crystal O’Neil, and Danielle Taylor. Way to go LMS and all Civil Rights Team members!!