Holocaust Memorial Day Assemblies
Over the past two weeks, Isla H (LE1), Tobin N (LT2) and I (LM1), three Year 12 History students, delivered four assemblies to the houses of Evans, Bryant, Starling and Morgan in recognition of Holocaust Memorial Day. The Holocaust Memorial Day takes place every year on the 27th of January, with this year’s Memorial Day marking 80 years since the liberation of Auschwitz concentration camp. These assemblies were a part of our Next Steps project within the Lessons from Auschwitz Programme, a nationwide initiative run by the Holocaust Educational Trust. The Holocaust Educational Trust is a British charity, based in London, whose aim is to "educate young people of every background about the Holocaust and the important lessons to be learned for today."
During our assemblies, we shared our experiences from the programme. This consisted of a day trip to both Auschwitz I and Auschwitz II in November of the previous year, an online seminar with Holocaust survivor Janine Webber and an interview with BBC Newsround just outside of the gas chambers at Auschwitz I. We were thus featured in BBC Newsround’s Holocaust Memorial Day segment, a link to which can be found here: https://www.bbc.co.uk/newsround/articles/cvgmvee7v0jo
In addition to the programme, Isla, Tobin and I also carried out an independent trip to the Imperial War Museum in London. We looked through the IWM’s Holocaust exhibition, noting down any names and events that we felt should be included in our assemblies. This, along with research carried out during our double free period every other Wednesday, formed the base of our assembly. We created a 15-minute slideshow covering the Holocaust, Auschwitz I, II, and III, along with the personal stories of Holocaust victims such as Janine Webber, Janusz Korczak, and the Mordo family. Due to the school’s water issues last week, we were unable to present our final two assemblies. We were still extremely proud of the effort we put into our Next Steps Project and are thankful for the overwhelmingly positive feedback we received from both staff and students regarding the assemblies
We are truly grateful to Mr. Davis and the History Department for giving us this opportunity. Their support and guidance throughout the project have been invaluable. The Lessons from Auschwitz Project was an incredibly meaningful and eye-opening experience, and one that the three of us will always remember.
James B (LM1)