Holocaust Literature Students Plan Tribute to Lives Lost During Holocaust

As their final project, students in Ms. McGrae’s Holocaust Literature class last semester were tasked with creating an initiative that involved the school community for International Holocaust Remembrance Day, which was recognized around the globe on Saturday, January 27. The students -  Bryce Beard ’25, Casie Crawford ’24, Ryan Brunton ’24, Jonas Tessman ’24, Lauren Jones ’25, Lilly Parras ’25, Jill Robida ’24, Lucia Martino ’24, Maddie Figgie ’25, Ava Malinowski ’24 and Katie Puletti ’24 - decided to participate in the Butterfly Project, an organization that uses education and the arts to create symbols of hope and resilience to honor the lives lost during the Holocaust. The project was inspired by the poem, “I Never Saw Another Butterfly,” written by Pavel Friedmann, a young Czech who wrote the poem while in a concentration camp.

During Advisory two weeks ago, Middle and Upper School students each decorated a butterfly and, the Holocaust Literature students hung the display in the Atrium of the Classroom Building. Each butterfly decorated represents 2,800 children, 11,000 Jewish people or 31,000 total fatalities during the Holocaust. The beautiful display is dedicated to cultivating social awareness and educating our community on the dangers of hatred and bigotry.