Holocaust survivor presents to ninth graders

On Tuesday, June 13th, the 9th grade team capped off an interdisciplinary unit about the Holocaust with a virtual presentation by Ms. Fay Malkin. Ms. Malkin is a Holocaust survivor and activist with connections in the local community. She shared her incredible story with the ninth graders, telling them about the two years she spent in hiding with her family in a hayloft in Sokal, Poland (now Ukraine). Ms. Malkin's incredible story helped to underscore the depravity of the Holocaust and the resiliency of those who survived it.

Ms. Malkin was joined on the Zoom call by her daughter, Debbi Schonberger-Pierce, who shared her own perception of how the Holocaust impacts generations of people, as survivors and their descendents search for normalcy in the wake of genocide.

Students were moved by the presentation, and when asked why survivor stories matter, Sophia Rosenbach shared that it is essential to learn from survivors so that we do not repeat mistakes of the past. Ms. Malkin also conveyed one more piece of advice to her young audience: "talk to your grandparents." After all, she said, everyone has a story worth sharing, and we should learn from each other while we still can.