Williamson & Montgomery County Fifth-Graders Share Award-Winning Views on Respect

FRANKLIN, TN, April 23, 2012

At presentations held at the Historic Williamson County Courthouse on April 10, 2012 and at Montgomery County Courthouse on April 11, 2012, six fifth-graders were recognized by Nashville attorney Randy Kinnard for their winning entries in a contest that asked students to define the meaning of respect.

In Williamson County, the first-place winner, Emma Rutherford from Edmondson Elementary, received $1,000 for her school, $1,000 for the charity of her choice - Monroe Carell, Jr. Children's Hospital at Vanderbilt, and $500 in U.S. Savings Bonds for herself.

In Montgomery County, the first-place winner, Jermese Hathorn from Minglewood Elementary, received $1,000 for his school, $1,000 for the charity of his choice - Breast Cancer Research Foundation, and $500 in U.S. Savings Bonds for himself.

These ceremonies were the culmination of Kinnard, Clayton & Beveridge law firm's RESPECT Contests, which asked fifth-graders to answer two questions: What is respect? and Why is it important? The students drew a picture to illustrate their answer as well.

Over the past several years, Mr. Kinnard has been asked to speak to fellow lawyers across the country on the topic of showing respect. The RESPECT contest was put into motion when the law firm raised discussions about how to start the conversation early and how to get young students talking about what being respectful means to them. "As adults, we often witness the unfortunate loss of dignity that can stem from disrespectful behavior in our professional lives and in our personal lives. We strongly believed that this contest would be an interesting way to encourage students to think about the impact that respect can have within their own lives," Kinnard said. "We all have seen terrible examples recently of bullying, suicides and depression in children caused by disrespect. I'm hoping this contest and the awards ceremony will raise awareness of the need for respect in our society."

The contest has resulted in a collection of extremely creative entries that thoughtfully express the many different meanings of respect. The law firm received and evaluated hundreds of submissions before deciding the outcome of the contest. Three students representing three different schools in Each Williamson County and Montgomery County were selected as the winners:

- First Place: Emma Rutherford, Edmondson Elementary
- Second Place: Anthony Culp, Nolensville Elementary
- Third Place: Kianne Gimenez, Westwood Elementary

Anthony Culp, the second-place winner, received $500 for his school, $500 for his charity of choice, St. Jude's Children's Research Hospital, and $200 in U.S. Savings Bonds for himself. Kianne Gimenez, who was chosen as the third-place winner in the contest, received $450 for her school, $450 for her chosen charity, Fairview Boys & Girls Club, and $100 in U.S. Savings Bonds for herself.

- First Place: Jermese Hathorn, Minglewood Elementary
- Second Place: Chloe Fisher, Clarksville Christian School
- Third Place: Kierston Bowles, Montgomery Central Elementary School

Second place winner, Chloe Fisher, received $500 for her school, $500 for her charity of choice, the Humane Society of Clarksville - Montgomery County, and $200 in U.S. Savings Bonds for herself. Third place winner, Kierston Bowles, received $450 for her school, $450 for her chosen charity, American Cancer Society, and $100 in U.S. Savings Bonds for herself.

Representatives from each of the chosen charities were on hand at the awards ceremonies to accept the donations.

To learn more about Kinnard, Clayton and Beveridge, visit our website: www.kinnardclaytonandbeveridge.com