On December fifth of this past year, great things were happening in Boston. Fourteen thousand students from all over Massachusetts and as far away as New Jersey gathered at the Fleet Center to confront and combat racism, bigotry, and hatred.

Team Harmony, as this massive event is known, is a program which was instituted by the Anti-Defamation League under the leadership of the late Lenny Zakim, the former New England regional director of the organization. Working with Jon Jennings and Reggie Lewis, Zakim embarked on a journey that has inspired many since he organized the original Team Harmony seven years ago. Now an annual event drawing thousands of youths as well as celebrities' support, Team Harmony has evolved into a unique forum for expressing ideas that promote tolerance and diversity.

At this year's Team Harmony VII, the program opened with performances by the musical group "Ball in the House" and by my Israeli dance troupe. Jon Jennings, a founder of Team Harmony, introduced the theme of this year's event: one person can make a difference. Lenny Zakim served as the inspiration for this message. With his undying hope of creating a better, more tolerant world, and with his continued efforts to accomplish this goal, he made a remarkable difference in our society, despite the fact that he was engaged in a long, ultimately unsuccessful battle with cancer. Because of his selfless dedication, the entire Team Harmony event served as a memorial to him. One intense component of the program was a ceremony in which representatives from each school in attendance presented stones which would later be placed in the foundation of the bridge being named in his memory. This ceremony was meant to be reminiscent of the Jewish custom of placing stones on the grave of a loved one, and was accompanied by Rabbi Mark

Sokol's explanation of the custom. Lenny was again remembered when his son Josh spoke about how proud his father would have been to see Team Harmony VII.

Later in the course of the morning, everyone who attended took a pledge to stand firmly and actively against bigotry, led through it by an eerie image of Lenny on a big screen and his booming, prerecorded voice. A video played which consisted of clips of him meeting with religious figures, leading rallies, and spending time with his family. Throughout the day, Lenny's spirit was tied to this Team Harmony in many ways.

Celebrity appearances at Team Harmony VII were made by Nomar Garciaparra of the Red Sox, Miss America, No Authority, and DJ Funkmaster Flex. Performances included those by the latter two, as well as by Irish and African dance groups and by the Greater Boston Step Association. Local celebrities such as Barry and Elliot Tatelman of Jordan's Furniture were also on hand to furnish support. The performances were enjoyable, but it seemed that while the many different dance numbers encouraged diversity, the only purpose which the popular musical groups' and DJ's appearances served was to entertain and unify us by means of bringing us streaming from our seats into a growing mosh pit next to the stage. And although the celebrities' intentions were good, their words of advice and enthusiasm were drowned out by shrieks from the audience in reaction to their entrance.

Another entertaining but valuable part of Team Harmony was a presentation by Urban Improv, a Boston-based improvisation group. Their skits portrayed situations in which subtle racism was apparent. First, an actor in the group responded to the situation, and then audience members were asked to share their views on the situation and how they would have responded. This activity, during which we were made more aware of possible reactions to occurrences of racism, proved to be one of the steps taken at Team Harmony to actually fight bigotry. Others steps were taken with an interactive video conference, in which we were speaking to President Clinton, teens in Belfast, and South Africans. During this discussion between all four parties, many issues dealing with senseless hatred were raised as representatives from each group asked and answered questions related to racism and tolerance.

In summary, Team Harmony is an important and necessary part of the quest to eliminate prejudice. Sometimes, though, this year's event seemed cult-like, especially as we all donned the same white tee-shirts while reciting the pledge against bigotry. Despite the unifying effect of activities such as this, the event lacked the intimacy that is very helpful in communicating the personal opinions and responses this sort of convention provokes. In addition, the time we had together would have been better spent if, instead of having been entertained by aspiring musicians, we had done more activities that targeted racism. The entertainment element of the event was quite amusing, though. Although individuals participation in the event was limited, the resources that all attendees were given provided a useful list of organizations related to the day's themes, enabling us to further our participation in the fight against bigotry. All in all, Team Harmony VII was an empowering and exciting event, a welcome substitute for school, and a vital step in the process of repairing our fragmented world.

I'm 16 years old. I go to the New Jewish High School near Boston, Massachusetts. I'm involved in Student Council, and I like to dance.