St. John Neumann—along with a number of other religious and civic groups in our area—is a proud sponsor of the annual Student Peace Awards of Fairfax County (SPAFC).  Each year, SPAFC invites every public high school in Fairfax County, as well as a few private schools, to select a junior, senior, or group of students active in promoting peace or removing the causes of violence.

Examples of eligible activities include:

• efforts to end conflict, either locally or globally;
• seeking to discuss or otherwise resolve potentially controversial issues within the school or community;
• promoting the understanding of divisive issues and situations to bridge language, ethnic, racial, religious, gender, sexual orientation, or class differences; and
• working to resolve conflicts among students or members of the community who feel isolated or alienated.

SPAFC recognizes awardees with a reception for all recipients in early March; a monetary gift to each awardee and to a peace-focused charity of his or her choice; a framed certificate, generally presented at each participating school’s annual awards ceremony; and press releases to area newspapers and online news providers.

Pax Christi SJN coordinates St. John Neumann’s participation in SPAFC.  For more information on SPAFC, contact Ken Fredgren at fredgren.k@gmail.com.