Mia Shields

SOCIAL SCIENCE: Emma Behar

When searching for her future path beyond high school, Miami Palmetto High senior and Silver Knight nominee for Social Science, Emma Behar, found her passion in helping children through Dance Marathon.

Dance Marathon, a nationwide philanthropic student-led movement, raises funds toward 170 Children’s Hospitals across the country. Associated with over 400 universities across the U.S., Behar first encountered the movement when touring Florida State University.

“I was touring FSU, and I encountered students on a field and they were so enthusiastic, and they were hitting a gong. I asked him what was going on, and they told me about [Dance Marathon]. And then I began to do some research, and I realized how big of an impact Dance Marathon has. I was inspired by that, and I knew that Palmetto would be so amazing with the cause and just contribute so much. So I reached out … that’s how we started,” Behar said.

Due to the project’s magnitude across the U.S., Behar hopes the project can bring as much of an impact to MPSH through her dedication to spread the initiative to the student body through Student Council and Inter-Club Council leaders.

“The project is so amazing, and it holds so much power over many campuses. It’s kind of been challenging to deliver the magnitude of the project to students at Palmetto … it’s been hard to make it gain its presence on campus. But as the years pass on, I know that it will become a commonly known thing that students look forward to and are extremely excited about. And we’ve come over that hardship…and students have just reacted so enthusiastically and [are] really excited to get involved,” Behar said.

To further engage students in participating in Dance Marathon, Behar plans to start fundraising initiatives for the holidays to increase club involvement, and eventually, host a large event at the end of the year to announce their grand total donated.

“We’re gonna start engaging students in fundraising by registering each club… the fundraising is year-round. We’re planning on doing candy grams for the holidays, to incentivize donations. And then the big event is probably going to be in March at the end of the year. So that’s a four-to-six-hour event in the gym where we’ll have a DJ [and other] activities. Hopefully, guest speakers will come from hospitals, and we will be able to reveal our grand total at the end,” Behar said.

Once Behar graduates, she hopes that Dance Marathon will continue to prosper and raise more money each year for MPSH’s Dance Marathon local hospital, Nicklaus Children’s Hospital. She also hopes to spread the project beyond the school bounds.

“Once I graduate, I hope that every year Palmetto raises more and more money for Nicklaus Children’s Hospital; I hope to just see it grow in the future. I know our board will do an amazing job when I leave, and I’m just excited to see it grow here at Palmetto. And also, I hope to inspire other high schools to start this project,” Behar said.

If Behar wins Silver Knight, she believes the award would represent all the hard work and dedication she has put into involving her community and for the greater good. 

“Winning silver night would be so extraordinary… it would truly solidify and validate all the work that I’ve done here at Palmetto to increase school spirit and just engaging in the community overall and community service has been something extremely central and important to me during high school. And it would really mean that my work has changed and impacted lives,” Behar said.

SPEECH: Clayton Detant

Since his freshman year, Miami Palmetto Senior High senior and Silver Knight Speech nominee Clayton Detant has advocated for increased inclusion and awareness amongst the MPSH student body. Unlike the typical applicant, Detant has focused on an issue he has seen first-hand, pushing him to leave an impact on all students. From creating fresh initiatives in school clubs to earning the role of Student Council President, Detant has worked towards creating a more connected and positive school environment at MPSH.

“I’ll say what inspired me initially is that I am someone who would be deemed unconventionally different by society, with my alopecia, and also being African American. I check every box for a minority … I know what it feels like to have your voice silenced and not be heard — to be a part of the minority,” Detant said. “I developed my speech and my voice to be able to not only speak up for myself, but to speak up for all those individuals just like me who have no one in their back corner. So I try to speak up for the underdog.”

This determination led Detant to make his voice heard throughout campus. Apart from leading the school’s 2023-24 Student Council, Detant has carried out these goals by creating new events at school.

“So even before I was [Student Council] President, last year I had our first ever Black History Month showcase. I [also] started the first annual culture week [at MPSH] that turned into our Hispanic Heritage Month showcase that happened this year. So I try to highlight minority groups and diversity as much as possible,” Detant said.

Along with this, Detant has played a vital role in reviving MPSH’s entrepreneurship club, DECA, as the club’s president. He has successfully led DECA members to meet criteria to participate in their state competitions for two years in a row.

“My [service project] is actually quite unconventional because usually, the service projects that Palmetto has kids apply with, it’s usually out of school community outreach projects … Even though I do have a community service project, they wanted to focus on my main passion, which is my outreach that’s done within the school,” Detant said.

Through Student Council, Detant has continuously worked to bring all parts of the student body together by initiating new and engaging activities for students.

“So again, I have done things for extracurriculars and academics to try to improve our school to the best of my ability. As well as changing rules and how Student Council works, proposing things to Mrs. Dobbs, our principal, changes that have been implemented, like our Fun Friday initiatives to increase school morale,” Detant said.

Dedicated to making a difference in his school environment, Detant hopes to have shown his peers that even one person can make a difference. With his future goals set on working in the United Nations, Detant plans to pursue Student Government in college and continue to build his voice to represent groups of people.

“… Winning Silver Knight would just prove what I’ve been working on since freshman year, that it is possible for nobody, someone who’s different, from a minority group, for someone [who] walks the halls [to] be able to accomplish it all and make themselves heard and make themselves seen. [To show] that it’s not a time where you’re in the shadows, and you have to remain in the shadows,” Detant said. “If you really want to be out there and make a difference, you can and if I win in this unconventional manner, that will show that no matter what you do it gets recognized and does have benefits. So you don’t have to create your own corporation or company or go visit Nicaragua and do a collection, you can do something small, and it still has a great impact.”