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Grant money helps students learn about the Holocaust
The trunk is a German steamer trunk built in Hanover, Germany and stays in the classroom of social studies department chairman Billy Pennington. He received a $1,000 grant last year funded by the Columbia Holocaust Education Commission through the Columbia Jewish Federation of South Carolina. Gaffney High School teachers used the grant to start an ongoing project called "Gaining Historical Perspectives of the Holocaust." The trunk contains DVDs, photographs, poster sets, books and curriculum guides so students can learn about Germany's persecution of the Jews under Adolf Hitler in World War II. "The purpose for the project is to promote Holocaust education by teaching the history and lessons of the Holocaust to people of all races and ages in order to prevent its recurrence," Pennington said. A sample of the trunk's contents include the DVD "Eyewitness Testimonials of Survivors and World War II Liberators," the book "Anne Frank: The Diary of a Young Girl," the education kit "The Story of Varian Fry and the Emergency Rescue Committee," and the book "Schindler's Legacy." Grant funds allowed the school to obtain material from a variety of sources ranging from the Richard C. Goodwin Holocaust Education Center in Delaware to World War II veteran books based on local interviews done by Gaffney High students. Gaffney High School has created an interactive Web site with student work and teacher lesson plans that can be viewed from a link on the school's social studies department page. Students have compiled artwork, poetry, and Power- Point presentations while studying about the Holocaust. "This is an ongoing project. I have been very pleased with the quality of the lesson plans that our teachers have submitted," Pennington said. "I hope more teachers will continue the resources in the trunk now that it's fully available to them." |
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