The interpretations of four La Porte ISD fifth-grade students garnered honors in the 2025 Respect Contest, an annual project of the Arnold & Itkin Foundation.

Bayshore student Jonah Martin, Heritage student Christopher Yii, La Porte Elementary student Jewel Ford and Rizzuto student Angelica Gonzales all received honors in this year’s contest.

Contestants are required to define the word respect in two or fewer sentences, and draw a picture to complement their explanation. The foundation, which is an outreach of the Houston-based law firm Arnold & Itkin, reviews every entry. The winners receive a donation to their school, a contribution to the charity of their choice, and a cash prize for themselves.

For their charities, Martin chose the Ray of Light Food Pantry through Light of Christ Church; Yii chose the La Porte Animal Shelter; Ford chose Kids Meals, Inc.; and Gonzalez chose St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.

“What we have learned is it is not us who are teaching the children about respect, there is actually so much we can learn from the kids about respect,” said Jason Itkin, founder of Arnold & Itkin. “Just reading their stories and seeing their stories is inspiring … It’s something that we can all learn from.”