Weston plans districtwide Holocaust Remembrance assemblies and Anne Frank exhibit funded by PTO
Summary
District leaders outlined Jan. 27 Holocaust Remembrance Day assemblies for all grades, a sign-up meet-and-hear with a survivor, a 32-panel Anne Frank traveling exhibit staffed by student docents, and a community night in May funded by PTO support and a grant application for a companion book.
Shauna Johnson, the district's 6—2 social studies coordinator, told the curriculum subcommittee that Weston will run districtwide assemblies on Jan. 27 so every student hears the same Holocaust Remembrance Day speaker. Annie Beistren will speak about her father's experience hiding in France; a Holocaust survivor referred to as Andy will speak in smaller sign-up sessions.
The district will host an Anne Frank traveling exhibit with 32 freestanding panels. The PTO is funding the exhibit, and 20 high-school students will serve as trained docents. Johnson said the program will include grade-appropriate lessons before the assemblies and that docents receive two days of training on presenting difficult material and responding to questions.
Johnson also said the district applied for a Weston Education Foundation (WEF) grant to purchase a historical-fiction novel, When We Flew Away, as a companion text to prepare middle-school students for the exhibit. A community night for the exhibit is scheduled for May 13.
Board members welcomed the programming and urged age-appropriate framing; a board member who identified as Jewish said age-appropriate options to honor the day are important. Staff said they will provide updates after the events and work to coordinate schedules across middle and high school teams.
