Rochester Early College High School Student Wins Princeton Prize for Race Relations
May 25, 2017—Today, the Rochester Board of Education honored Shalinda Bollar, this year’s recipient of the Princeton Prize in Race Relations, which is awarded each year to a high school student who has made a significant contribution toward improving race relations in their school or community. At the monthly business meeting, the Board of Education recognized Ms. Bollar, a senior at Rochester Early College High School, for her efforts to ameliorate the “school-to-prison pipeline” by helping to revise the District’s Code of Conduct to promote the use of restorative practices and utilize suspension only as a last resort. Shalinda has been instrumental in advancing this work in the District, having facilitated over 20 focus groups involving 334 students to learn more about their perspectives and experiences. She also assisted in training 230 school Principals and administrators regarding the new Code of Conduct, the importance of restorative practices and ways to enhance relationships between teachers and students. In addition, Ms. Bollar created a training video for school staff, which can be used for future and ongoing professional development.
The Princeton Prize in Race Relations was founded in the fall of 2003, by Henry Von Kohorn, a 1966 Princeton graduate who recognized the need to support and encourage young high school students committed to fostering positive race relations within their communities. His vision was founded on the notion that early encouragement, reward and support for students would motivate them to continue this critical work in college and beyond.