As a reward for her winning words, Michaela was thrilled when the Premier League arranged a surprise trophy visit to her school, along with a Premier League Primary Stars assembly featuring special guest MC Grammar, who presented her with a bespoke framed poem, with each club’s winning poet also receiving a framed illustration of their poem.
**“I feel very honoured to be able to win something as big as this,” Michaela said.** “My teachers and my family inspired me to write the poem because they teach me that there’s no room for anyone to be racist.”
Jenny Mooney, deputy head at St Chad’s, added: “I could not be prouder of Michaela. Her success in the Premier League’s No Room For Racism national poetry-writing competition is a reminder that when a young person speaks with honesty and courage, their voice can reach hearts far beyond the classroom.”
**Students in Michaela’s class also benefited from a Black History Month, Racism and Inclusion workshop, designed to spark conversations.** The workshop began with a quick “who am I” quiz where famous celebrities were on the board.
The students quickly spotted that the main similarities were that they were all Croydon born and or raised, very successful and from backgrounds similar to them.
Students were then encouraged to highlight their own ‘Black History Month hero’, and many students linked their heroes back to their learning in classes and religious figures within the Catholic community. All discussions were based around adversity through hardships.
**Congratulations, Michaela!**