Minot Forest Elementary School 5th graders received first- and second-place awards and honorable mentions at a ceremony for the winners of the annual Massachusetts Aggression Reduction Center's Bullying Poetry and Poster Contest, held at Bridgewater State University earlier this month.

All of the winning students competed in the 5th grade poster category and responded to the prompt: "Write a letter to a victim of bullying. What would you say to them?"

Renneanna Dillen won first place for her poster, Makenna Tavares-Platt and Taylah Messia won 2nd place, and Michael Sylvia, Aiden Sullivan, and Cameron Osborne garnered honorable mentions.

"We are very proud of your excellent achievement and representing our school at Bridgewater State University," Minot Forest Study Skills teacher Christine Quimby told the students.

The students have been learning about bullying through books and discussions in their Study Skills classes and spent one 40-minute period a week over the last month designing their posters.

"It's not a lot of time," said Quimby. "I was very proud that they won."

The statewide contest was for 3rd- through 5th-graders and featured more than 1,000 entries, said Quimby.

"We're taking on a very important issue for children," said Quimby. "In today's world, kids even bully on e-mail. ... We have to be proactive and teach them it's not tolerated."