NT_051619

22 | May 16, 2019 | The Northbrook tower school
northbrooktower.com
Wood Oaks students present final projects on genocide prevention
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Wood Oaks eighth-graders
recently presented their
final projects on genocide
after studying genocide
and genocide prevention
in social studies classes.
The students have been
studying the issue of
genocide, particularly in
Darfur and Rwanda. They
participated in a half-day
workshop in March with
Carl Wilkens, who was
the last American to stay
in Rwanda during the
genocide there in 1994.
He is credited with saving
hundreds of lives by his
humanitarian efforts.
The student projects
ran the gamut, from posters
to videos, to pieces of
art. The students were encouraged
to be creative,
said Gella Meyerhoff, one
of the Wood Oaks social
Paige Star, left, and Madison Rosengard show off their
genocide projects at Wood Oaks Junior High School.
studies teachers.
“Because the unit on
genocide has troubling
and emotionally charged
content, students were encouraged
to use art as a
means of expression, reflecting
their response to
this important and difficult
subject,” Meyerhoff said.
Two students, Alex
Smith and Maddie Furman,
created a claw-type game
with the words “Never
Again” scrawled on the
background. Each of the
“prizes” included a photo
and information about a
genocide event in history,
thus the sign on the machine
which reads, “Don’t
play the game of genocide
... we all know it’s rigged.”
Paige Star created a
structure that looked like
a barn to represent one
Wood Oaks eighth-graders Alex Smith, left, and Maddie Furman created this clawtype
game for their genocide project. Photos courtesy of District 27
that her great-grandfather
sought refuge in after escaping
the Nazis during a
death march in World War
II.
Meyerhoff said the
unit is designed to not
only teach the students
about genocide, but arm
them with information
to keep the killings from
happening again.
“Our eighth grade students
explore genocide
and genocide prevention
to envision the ways
that they might transform
their learning into action
as global citizens impacting
the world in a positive
way,” she said. “Our goal
is to empower students to
‘remember the past and
transform the future.’”
My hands on approach reduces costs and avoids confusion.
The Most Exciting Part For Me Is Seeing How Each Project Is
A Unique Reflection Of My Client’s Personality And Life Style.
Michael Gould
“I treat your Dreams Like
They Were My Own”