The Exploration of Human Rights and Genocide class went on a trip to New York to visit the 9/11 Memorial and the Jewish Heritage Museum on December 2.

Their day began as they arrived to school at 5:45 am to board the buses and didn’t conclude until they returned to JC at 10:30 pm. During their trip, the class took a boat ride on the Hudson River and saw the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island.

At the museum, the class was divided into two groups for guided tours. Each of the students were given a headset in the museum to listen to the tour guide elaborate on specific exhibits.
Human Rights and Genocide teacher Gary Scholl offered that one thing that could have been done differently than going through a guided tour is “going through individually with questions to answer in our journals would allow each to focus on areas of interest and require immediate written response to those areas.”

Trip Coordinator Louise Geczy had been planning this trip since September and commented that “any effort involved was more than worth it.”

She hopes to “continue to provide outreach experiences for HR students” and wants to possibly add a visit to the Immigrant Museum or Ellis Island.

The students collectively agreed that the boat ride was the best part of the trip.

Caden Daubach said, “I really liked seeing the Statue of Liberty at night.”

Lane Miller agreed, “I liked the boat ride; it was really cool.”

Mrs. Geczy hopes that students get “a more in-depth perspective on the Holocaust and the consequences of hatred, and how we are all part of something far greater than ourselves, so we have an obligation to explore our world and never stop trying to learn.”

The overall goals of the trip of learning about and remembering the victims of genocide were accomplished.

“We’ve learned about the Holocaust, but the museum really put it in perspective,” senior Olivia Chesla said.

One thing that Olivia would change about the trip would be to have more time at the museum.
To close day, Mr. Scholl said, “The Museum of Jewish Heritage, the 9/11 Memorial, and the Statue of Liberty all reminded me that in times of great challenge, humans can and often do respond with great compassion.”