Earlier this month, the John Carroll Class of 2021 participated in Holocaust Remembrance activities.

On Friday, March 5, seniors took a virtual class trip to Arlington National Cemetery and the Holocaust Memorial Museum. An in-person/remote Holocaust Remembrance Day was held on Wednesday, March 10.
Senior Project Coordinator Mrs. Louise Geczy made opening and closing statements for both events.
Senior Ellie King commented, “What stood out to me the most during these events was at the end of the Holocaust Remembrance Day when Mrs. Geczy shared a quote from Hitler about how a child is to be treated the best;! yet he murdered over 1.5 million children.”
Senior Sarah Nelson said the virtual tour was not as impactful compared to an in-person tour of the cemetery, and more than half of the seniors surveyed said they would go back for an in-person tour when COVID-19 conditions improve.
For Holocaust Remembrance Day, the lobby hall was filled with quotes from Holocaust survivors and inspirational messages.
Due to safety precautions, survivors were not on campus in-person as they have been in years past. However, seniors still were able to hear stories from the survivors through video presentations.
Dr. Ellen Kennedy from the World Without Genocide Organization was the keynote speaker for the seniors. Ellie said that overall, her favorite thing was “the survivors’ stories about what they experienced and how the overall message is to love each other.”
Senior John Blondell commented, “Just getting to hear about the people’s real stories from them [was important]. It’s really different when it’s actually coming from the person and not just a book or magazine or someone else talking on their behalf.”
Attending these annual activities are graduation requirements for the senior class, and attendance was taken. To prepare for these events, students read Elie Wiesel’s Night in their English classes.
A reflection of the days was also required as part of a Quarter 3 Senior Project Grade.