Honoring Children Lost in Holocaust
Pinecrest’s Middle School students received impactful lessons on World War II and the Holocaust throughout the week of November 14-18, 2016, as teachers across all subject areas organized their instruction around the theme of World War II.
This thematic unit culminated on Friday, November 18, which was also Grandparents Day. Around 425 grandparents and other family members were on-hand, as students joined together for The Daffodil Project, during which 360 daffodils were planted by the students in front of the Middle School building, each daffodil commemorating a child whose life was lost in the Holocaust.
This thematic unit culminated on Friday, November 18, which was also Grandparents Day. Around 425 grandparents and other family members were on-hand, as students joined together for The Daffodil Project, during which 360 daffodils were planted by the students in front of the Middle School building, each daffodil commemorating a child whose life was lost in the Holocaust.
Started by Am Yisrael Chai!, a non-profit Holocaust Education and Awareness Organization, The Daffodil Project is a world-wide project empowering Holocaust Education. During the Holocaust, one and a half million children died senselessly in Nazi-occupied Europe. Am Yisrael Chai! aspires to build a Living Holocaust Memorial by planting 1.5 million daffodils around the world to remember the children.
The site at Pinecrest designated for the daffodils was named the “Children’s Memorial Garden,” and was dedicated and blessed by Middle School Chaplain, Fr. David Barton, LC, just before the daffodils were planted. Students look forward to the spring, when these daffodils will bloom, offering another reminder of the children of the Holocaust.
At the conclusion of the daffodil planting, students gathered to listen to the story of Mr. George Rishfeld, a Holocaust survivor and United States immigrant. His story is one of hope and inspiration, which he shares frequently through the Georgia Commission on the Holocaust.
“Besides imparting historical facts about World War II and the Holocaust through this unit of study, we were able to show a parallel between societal issues that our world faced many decades ago and those we face today,” said Mrs. Cress, Middle School Principal.
“We hope that our students have been inspired to think deeply about what’s going on in our world currently, and that genocide is still happening, posing a real threat to the sanctity of life."
The Daffodil Project provided students a chance to honor the children whose lives were senselessly taken during the Holocaust; and the chance to hear the first-person account of a Holocaust survivor was enthusiastically received by students, grandparents and parents.
Middle School faculty and staff dressed in World War II attire the entire week to facilitate this hands-on learning experience for students. Middle School Receptionist, Ms. Mazzolini, wore her late mother’s Red Cross Grey Lady uniform on Friday, as a special tribute.
See more photos from the event on our Facebook page.
The site at Pinecrest designated for the daffodils was named the “Children’s Memorial Garden,” and was dedicated and blessed by Middle School Chaplain, Fr. David Barton, LC, just before the daffodils were planted. Students look forward to the spring, when these daffodils will bloom, offering another reminder of the children of the Holocaust.
At the conclusion of the daffodil planting, students gathered to listen to the story of Mr. George Rishfeld, a Holocaust survivor and United States immigrant. His story is one of hope and inspiration, which he shares frequently through the Georgia Commission on the Holocaust.
“Besides imparting historical facts about World War II and the Holocaust through this unit of study, we were able to show a parallel between societal issues that our world faced many decades ago and those we face today,” said Mrs. Cress, Middle School Principal.
“We hope that our students have been inspired to think deeply about what’s going on in our world currently, and that genocide is still happening, posing a real threat to the sanctity of life."
The Daffodil Project provided students a chance to honor the children whose lives were senselessly taken during the Holocaust; and the chance to hear the first-person account of a Holocaust survivor was enthusiastically received by students, grandparents and parents.
Middle School faculty and staff dressed in World War II attire the entire week to facilitate this hands-on learning experience for students. Middle School Receptionist, Ms. Mazzolini, wore her late mother’s Red Cross Grey Lady uniform on Friday, as a special tribute.
See more photos from the event on our Facebook page.
