The 8th grade Hardin Jefferson English teachers at Henderson Middle School helped their students create a Holocaust exhibit at their school that is a tribute to the millions of Jewish people who suffered, and lost their lives, under the reign of Nazi Germany.

Approximately six million people died during the twelve year period. Of the nine million Jews residing in Europe before the Holocaust, approximately two-thirds were killed.

Darrell Westfall, Assistant Principal at Henderson Middle School, explained that in past years the Henderson teachers brought their 8th graders to the Holocaust Museum in Houston, but with budget constraints, they were unable to do that this year. With help from a grant from the Women's Club of Sour Lake, the teachers and students were able recreate, on a much smaller scale, a tribute to the many people who lost their lives during this tragic time in our history.

Diana Schneider, who has taught English at Henderson since 1994, worked with four other teachers on the project. The unit is part of the curriculum prescribed by the state, as all 8th graders study the story of Ann Frank. However, this exhibit, which lasts two weeks, goes above and beyond the normal curriculum.

This subject is personal to Schneider, as she had a friend (deceased now) who would have been the same age as Ann Frank. She had her own story to tell of escaping the fate of the Nazi death camps. "I feel very passionate about this," Schneider said, "You have to get people to feel strongly about it so that it won't happen again." This year, 160 students at Henderson participated in the Holocaust exhibit.

To begin the day's lesson, Schneider explained to the students, "The railcar was the main method used to systematically move the prisoners to the concentration camps. The cars were enclosed with wooden slats that offered little or no protection from the elements." Schneider pointed to an area on the floor that was marked off with red tape, indicating the space allowed during transportation.

There were 12 students in the class, so she had them come and stand in the space that would have been allotted that many people. Schneider then explained that the prisoners were on the train for many days, and invited them to try and sit down in the cramped space. It was truly a reality check. One student asked where they went to the bathroom; another asked what happened when someone died while in the boxcar. Neither answer was pleasant.

In the next exercise, Schneider handed out small booklets to each student that told a prisoner's story. Where they were born, did they have family, what were their jobs? What were the circumstances like when they were taken? And last, a final passage told of their

fate - did they survive, did their spouse and children, their friends. Most often the answer was no. After reading their individual stories the students were invited to share with the class. It was very emotional.

The students were then invited to step behind the auditorium curtain to view the exhibit. It was breathtaking. The black and white photos, elegantly displayed, portrayed a sad story of grief, fear and despair - but there were also photos of Jewish people banding together to bravely resist the oppression of the Nazi regime.

Tables held displays that told of heroism, such as the story of Ann Frank. There were banners from the period, newspaper accounts of the horror, and a replica of the uniforms the young German children wore when they attended the youth camps. Schneider explained the children were very proud of their uniforms, it made them feel special. One student remarked, "like Boy Scouts, except not!"

One of the displays showed photographs of how the people were examined to determine if they were of the pure race. A chart that categorized the blueness of their eyes and the fairness of their skin, and even instruments used in measuring the distance between the eyes, which was part of the classification criteria.

The students were invited to watch a film documenting the horrific event, and then they sat down to listen while Mrs. Schneider read an allegory called The Terrible Things about a juvenile rabbit and his family that lived in a great forest with many other creatures, until the 'terrible things' came. The animals were singled out by their physical characteristics, such as feathers, fur, scales – and removed from the forest never to return. As each creature is removed the others congratulated themselves for not having any of the bad traits. One by one all the species are removed leaving the family of rabbits. The young rabbit then realizes their time is next.

As Mrs. Schneider pointed out to her students, the majority of the people who lived during the Holocaust were neither the persecutors, nor the ones who were persecuted, but those who stood by and did nothing. It is a chilling story, and one that teaches an important lesson.

Here are comments from a few of the students about the lessons they learned:

Kailey Long

"When I go home I'm thankful for my parents, that we are all together as one happy family, that we aren't separated. I think that it must have been a very sad time during the Holocaust, especially for people who had family that they lost." How will what you've learned effect Kailey the adult? "To treat people good because if you treat people bad it could affect their whole life."

Landon Mitchell

"How could one person cause so much pain and suffering? It gets into your mind. Don't believe everything you hear. Hitler said that Jews were bad and everyone just believed it. The stereotypes and prejudice was just accepted. You can't do that. You have to get to know (people) before you can make any judgment."

Grace Phelps

"When I look at the pictures (of the people in the Holocaust) I think that could have been the last time they saw anything. I feel bad for them, I know that they didn't deserve it, and I think how fortunate I am everyday. I remember what I've learned, and if I'm having a bad day I think about how it was for them, always working, and barely having enough food. You know, I go through problems sometimes, teen problems, and I think that those people had to suffer with problems that nobody should have to deal with."

Reid Yentzen

"It was a great experience traveling to Washington DC for the Presidential Inauguration. We got to visit a lot of incredible sites. Visiting the Holocaust Museum made you realize what was going on during that time period in Poland and Germany, and the surrounding countries. It was horrible the things they did to the Jews and homosexuals, and other minorities. One of the lessons I will carry with me is to stand up for myself and other people who are being wrongly judged."