“My child, what else may I call you,
but: love.
Even without the word,
that is who you are,
you- seed of my every dream.”
~poem from the Vilna Ghetto, 1943
Most people already know that I am a high school English teacher. This is actually my 7th year as a high school English teacher. I can hardly believe it. Students from my first few years are getting married and having babies. Oh, how time passes so quickly!
This year, for the first time, I am teaching Literature of the Holocaust. I proposed adding this specialized class to the high school curriculum for many reasons, but primarily, I proposed it because there are so many important discussions that evolve from the study of this human catastrophe and so much that we can learn from those who suffered. There are also many modern parallels that, unfortunately, we are able to make over and over again. We study this history through the voices of those who survived, and through the voices of those who didn’t. In doing so, students are learning history THROUGH literature. In addition to the written words left for us, we also analyze photographs and film left behind by those who were victims and by those who were perpetrators. From these artifacts, we are able to construct a framework of important knowledge, not just about the event and its consequences, but about the lives of those who were affected.
In order to take our learning to the next level, as a class, we are raising funds to journey to the national Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington D.C. This trip will be the culmination of a semester long study, and it will offer students the ability to be face to face with what they have only read about in their books, saw online or, watched in a documentary. After our trip, we will come back and present to our community and to our school about what we have learned and how we can use it in our lives as citizens of a democracy.
This is where you come in.
October 29th and 30th, we are offering a series of photography mini-sessions. I am offering my time and photography services as a fundraising vehicle to these students. ALL proceeds from this event will be donated to help offset the costs of this trip. Because of the special nature of this project, I am offering a VERY limited time opportunity in order to support these kids’ endeavor.
Our goal for these photographic sessions is to provide you with beautiful memories while supporting an educational journey for some of our local students.
Will you help us get to D.C. to experience this amazing learning opportunity?
HERE is the link to a bigger version of this poster. Please, share this with your friends, and please consider supporting these students’ mission.
HERE is the link to an online booking form. If you do not see an appointment time that will work for you, please contact Katrina about scheduling a “rain check” session. These will be available in LIMITED NUMBERS, and depend on Katrina’s booking schedule.
Have a BEAUTIFUL day,
Katrina
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