Next Level Training, Steve Weatherford, and the Steve Weatherford World Champion Foundation are excited to announce the five winners of this year’s Project Prom.  Project Prom, an annual essay-writing contest, is a lesson in hope that asks students to write about how they have overcome adversity—and gives them the opportunity to experience a memorable prom evening in return!

As a result of their thoughtful and moving essays on the issue of bullying, Umama Khan, Anthony Davila, Brianni Thomas, Taina Cortes, and Nile Batista were declared the winners of this year’s Project Prom, held at William L. Dickinson High School in Jersey City, NJ.  The five students and their dates will attend their May 8th senior prom in style, with all of their expenses—hair, makeup, dresses, flowers, tuxedos, and transportation—completely free of charge.

 

“I am extremely grateful and extremely blessed that Steve Weatherford decided to choose my high school to bestow this blessing on,” said Brianni Thomas.  “He’s made a fan out of me!”

 

For Project Prom 2015, every member of the senior class at Dickinson High School was invited to write an essay in response to the following question: 

 

In a society where bullying has become prevalent in schools, on the Internet, and in everyday life, what can you personally do to look out for your peers and take a stand against bullying?  What have your experiences with bullying taught you that would help you to do the right thing, even in a situation where you saw your best friend bullying someone else?

 

A total of 140 seniors participated in this year’s Project Prom.  Students composed incredible, thought-provoking pieces that addressed various aspects of bullying, including its causes, its effects, and its potential solutions.  Some students wrote of what they did to help others who got bullied; one of the winners, for example, physically carried a classmate over his shoulder to help remove the student from a “life or death” situation.  Other students wrote about their decision to combat bullying by serving as mentors for local children in the community.  Yet others wrote of their personal experiences as victims of bullying, while they nevertheless showed a remarkably mature understanding that bullies’ actions are often driven by issues that warrant attention and intervention.

 

A distinguished panel of judges did a first round reading of the essays and narrowed down the 140 overall essays to 26 finalists.  The Project Prom judging panel consisted of many prominent figures in the New York metropolitan area:  Bruce Beck, NBC News 4 New York sports anchor; Duke Castiglione, Fox 5 New York sports anchor; John McKeon, Assemblyman for New Jersey Legislative District 27, who also sponsored anti-bullying legislation in New Jersey; Nuno Francisco, President of the Boys and Girls Clubs in New Jersey, for which Weatherford is the Health and Fitness Ambassador; and Allison Stangeby, Director of Community Relations for the New York Giants. 

Weatherford and the rest of the Project Prom committee then selected the five overall winners from the batch of 26 finalists. 

 

An assembly was held today at Dickinson High School to announce the winners.  Currently in California with his family for the off-season, Weatherford participated in the assembly via live video feed, personally announcing the five winners and making individual comments on the students’ essays as he announced their names. 

 

“Taina, your friends are lucky to have someone who is as strong and supportive as you,” Weatherford commented to winner Taina Cortes.

 

“I’m blessed to be able to read all of the essays that you guys wrote,” Weatherford to the entire student body.  “I’m really honored to host Project Prom at your school. I can’t tell you how excited and honored I am to announce these winners. If I could make every single one of you guys in that auditorium a winner, I would.  I just want you to know that I am looking forward to enjoying prom with each and every one of you.”

 

“We had over 140 amazing, amazing essays,” said Donald Shauger, owner of Next Level Training, Weatherford’s East Coast off-season training facility, which teamed up with Weatherford last year for the inaugural year of Project Prom as well.  “The students in this audience gave some amazing ideas and recommendations.”

 

The twenty-six finalists each received a photograph signed and personalized by Weatherford.  The five winners also were given Weatherford Wednesday T-shirts, which they donned at the conclusion of today’s assembly.  Local Jersey City companies sponsoring Project Prom and providing services for the winners include LaBelle Boutique, The Tux Shop, and Beauty Within.

 

Weatherford will be in attendance at the seniors’ May 8th prom at Mayfair Farms in West Orange—and he won’t be going alone!  During today’s assembly, senior Vikki Serrano asked Weatherford if he would be her date to the prom.  Weatherford gave an enthusiastic yes!

The assembly was concluded with one more unexpected announcement—that the New York Giants will be contributing $25,000 towards the cost of the prom tickets for seniors planning to attend prom.  Thanks to the Giants’ generosity, the cost of students’ individual prom tickets will decrease from $100 to approximately $30.

 

 “Steve Weatherford made sure that the right people heard about the amazing and wonderful kids here in the Class of 2015 at Dickinson High School,” said Shauger.  “Kids who couldn’t afford to go, because of Steve Weatherford and the New York Giants, now could go.”

 

“When you look at an organization like the Giants, it’s not just about football on Sundays during football season,” added Shauger. “It’s about being involved with—and giving back—to the community.”

                          

 

 

 

 

By Alexandra Gakos, Next Level Training