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HIGH POINT — Latinos, Asians, white and black students, with a diversity of beliefs have come together to fight discrimination and hate during the past four years.

The High Point Student Human Relations Commission — made up of students from nine area high schools — recently won national recognition with a Cultural Diversity Award.

Eight cities were honored by the National League of Cities’ National Black Caucus of Local Elected Officials, which met March 16 in Washington.

“Getting the award was an awesome experience — a shock,” said Leigh Fairly, student chairwoman for the commission. Fairly, a senior at High Point Central, said she is “extremely grateful and humbled” that her group was selected for the award.

“It’s been a great two years working with people and being able to help people with human-relations issues,” she said.

The 72 commission members were winners long before receiving the large silver cup, said Alvena Heggins, director of the city’s Human Relations Commission.

The students’ training and perspectives have helped temper sensitive racial issues in recent years, Heggins said.

Heggins sees the impact of the student commissioners in how two “hate issues” were handled on school campuses.

In September 2007, four nooses were hung around the campus of Andrews High School. In December 2008, six Klan hoods constructed from traffic cone covers were discovered at High Point Central High.

“Because our student commissioners had been in place since 2004, they were well-equipped to execute a 10-step unity plan to manage crisis, supported by teaching tolerance,” Heggins said. “If the students had not had a consistent human-relations program in place, these school incidents could have transformed into unmanageable crises.”

The commission includes High Point Central, Andrews High, Academy at Central, Bishop McGuiness, GTCC Middle College of High Point, Penn-Griffith School of the Arts, Southern Guilford High, Southwest Guilford High and Westchester Country Day School. The group elects officers each April.

In addition to Fairly, officers are vice-chairman Roger Burton of Southwest High. First position chairwoman Grace Talley of Southwest and second position chairwoman Myia White have served for the past year, Heggins said.

Adult advisers from each school, school officials, city government officials and many diverse organizations have contributed to the success of the student group, Heggins said.

“This would not be possible without all of the different organizations and the dedication of the students,” she said. “It is truly a community effort.”

For Heggins — “just call me Al; everybody has since I was in the seventh grade” — being able to organize the student commission was “a dream come true.” She was involved with the Salisbury-Rowan Human Relations Council while employed at Livingston College and saw some of the positive things students can accomplish in human-relations roles.

“When I took this job, the city manager (Strib Boynton) told me that he hoped we could get more involved in the schools,” she said.

That was Heggins’ cue to put her wide-ranging experience into a plan for the youth of High Point.

Heggins, who grew up in Kannapolis and earned undergraduate and master’s degrees at UNC-Charlotte, has taught school, taught English for Speakers of Other Languages, worked in college administration, and served as a captain in the U.S. Army where she was involved in intelligence work.

She spent two years in Turkey, where she taught English for the Turkish-American Association. Beside English, Spanish and Turkish, Heggins speaks “some Japanese.”

Heggins’ experiences are valuable in teaching diversity and tolerance to others, she said.

“The student commission gives us a chance to show how civically responsible our young people can be,” she said.

Contact Bob Burchette at bburchette@triad.rr.com