ROCHESTER, N.Y. — A seventh grader at the Greece Central School District showed resilience and compassion in the face of bullying. Leah Tellier is one of this year’s recipients of the Do the Right Thing awards. The award honors students for their brave actions, generosity, and good deeds.

The student was often bullied, which forced her to miss a lot of school. That didn’t stop her from showing compassion to her peers and making the honor roll with high grades in three straight marking periods.

Leah has also reached out to her school’s administration about starting an anti-bullying club. Leah shared with us what pushes her to help others.

“You should do the right thing because when you do a bad thing, it’s not always a good example. And you want to make sure that you set a good example for not only the future generations but also the past,” Leah said. 

Nominations are open year-round for the Do the Right Thing Award. Any student in grades K-12 in a Monroe County school is eligible for a nomination. The good deed must have occurred within one year of the nomination. Anyone over 18 years of age can submit a nomination form including family, friends, school staff, and coaches.

The Rochester Police Department has held The Do the Right Thing awards since 1995. You can learn more about nominating a student here.