Middle School, both 6th and 7th/8th have been engaging with a heavy topic for the past few weeks: The Holocaust and it’s literature and history.

6th grade has been studying “Anne Frank: The Diary of a Young Girl.” While the story of a young Jewish girl hiding with her family from Nazi troopers was published in 1947, its narrative remains relatable to young readers and its themes remain incredibly relevant to the modern world.  Anne had a remarkable gift for writing and her voice is such that you can almost hear her speak through her words.  Her struggles of irritation with her family, her daily routine, and even her growing affection for the young man with whose family she shares “The Secret Annex” all work together to weave a fascinating tapestry of an average girl coming of age against the backdrop of persecution and conflict. It is much more than just a diary; it is a primary source and a window to history.  While she never truly intended it for publication, it stands as a testament to the triumph of the human spirit and what she, and others like her, endured during one of the greatest periods of conflict in modern history. So far, the students have responded well and, as we reach the halfway point this week, they are making wonderful connections and having meaningful discussions surrounding Anne and the tragic circumstances that caused her to hide for more than two years.

7th/8th grade are also engaging with the Holocaust although with a very different account of those events.  They have been reading “Night,” a memoir by holocaust survivor Elie Wiesel. They began by briefly examining some important aspects of Judaism as the Jewish faith was very important to the author. While the text is short, little more than a hundred pages, its pacing is such that it leaves you breathless as your race from location to location and event to event. It is written in “the language of the ghetto,” as if you had to write quickly and sparingly as you never knew how much time you had left and this fear of persecution drove your every action.  While the material is dark, the themes of empathy, social justice, and the power of the spirit to never give up hope are prevalent, thought-provoking, and are excellent for the students to engage with.  They have already garnered a deeper understanding of empathy and standing up to persecution and I’m confident that this understanding will only grow as we delve deeper into this account.

High School began its unit on the George Orwell classic “1984” last week with a documentary chronicling his life and inspiration for this classic work of dystopian literature. We will continue this unit this week with a brief introduction to the world of 1984 in which people belonging to “The Party” dare not step out of line or else one of the ministries of justice, love, freedom, or plenty (all ironically named) may sweep down and carry you off in the night.  After all “Big Brother is watching.” This novel has been the inspiration for many other works of art and literature and has formed the basis for everything from Blockbuster films to reality television. Students will have the opportunity to ask questions relating to censorship, social control, class structure, the importance of history and everything else in between as this book is a rich source of narrative storytelling but also contains a dark warning to future generations. The students have already expressed how excited they are to begin this novel and that excitement mirrors my own.