This episode explores the importance of Holocaust education in our schools. While the subject is weighty, our two guests, Claire Sarnowski and Brittany Larson, bring hope and inspiration through their impactful work in this field.
Claire Sarnowski, a Lakeridge alum from the Class of 2022, played a pivotal role in her freshman year by spearheading Senate Bill 664, which mandated Holocaust and Genocide Education in Oregon schools. Brittany Larson, also an alum, is a beloved educator who has made a lasting impact in the social studies department at Lakeridge for the past 17 years.
Join us as we learn more about their stories and gain valuable insights into the enduring lessons of Holocaust education.
Dr. Jennifer Schiele, Superintendent, LOSD
Mary Kay Larson, Executive Director of Communications, LOSD
Brittany Larson, Teacher and Alum, Lakeridge High School
Claire Sarnowski, Lakeridge Alum, Activist, Author, and College Student
Remember My Story: A Girl, a Holocaust Survivor, and a Friendship That Made History by Claire Sarnowski (Author), Sarah Durand
MICHELLE ODELL:: [00:00:00] Welcome to Learning in Lake Oswego, a podcast providing educational insights for an engaged community. Lake Oswego School District Superintendent, Dr. Jennifer
MARY KAY LARSON:: SCHIELE, will discuss what's important to our learning community. She'll be joined by experts examining various topics, answering important questions, and sharing upcoming events and activities you won't want to miss.
And now, it's your host. Lake Oswego School District Executive Director of Communications, Mary Kay Larson.
Welcome to Learning in Lake Oswego, I'm your host, Mary Kay Larson, here with our superintendent, Dr. Jennifer SCHIELE. Today we are discussing an important topic, Holocaust education in our schools.
While the subject is somber, we believe that you'll find hope and inspiration in the contributions of our two guests today, who have made significant impacts in this area. Joining us is Claire Sarnowski. She's a Lakeridge alumni from the class of [00:01:00] 2022. In her freshman year of high school, Claire spearheaded Senate Bill 664, which mandated Holocaust and genocide education in Oregon schools.
She shared her experience in her debut memoir, Remember My Story. Claire is now studying at Boston University in Massachusetts, but it's home for the summer and here to talk to us. Also joining us, we have Brittany Larson, a beloved educator in LOSD. Brittany also is an alumni of our school system, and she has been teaching in our district for over 17 years.
She teaches at Lakeridge in the social studies department. Specifically history and psychology classes. We look forward to hearing from them both today. With that, Jen, take it away.
DR JENNIFER SCHIELE:: Hi, Claire. Thanks for joining us today in the studio. We look forward to exploring your stories and insights on this crucial topic of the lessons about the Holocaust.
First, can you tell me a little [00:02:00] bit about what you're up to these days?
CLAIRE SARNOWSKI:: Yeah, I'm up to quite a bit. So after I graduated from Lakeridge in 2022, I've been a college student at Boston University where I'm studying health science on the pre med track. So my studies keep me pretty busy and then when I'm not doing that, I'm mostly doing stuff at home.
For my book, called Remember My Story, it was published in January of this year. So I have done a lot of publicity, whether it is media appearances or going around to different schools. I've done both virtual and in person events. So that keeps me pretty busy. And then when I'm not doing stuff at school or for my book, I do enjoy being able to have downtime and spending time with my friends and family, which is always good to have that balance.
Speaker 3: Absolutely. And you, I mean, I feel like we have a professional author, student, and podcast. You've been on news, TV, radio. I, I, I think you're my most celebrated person here on the podcast. So thank you again for joining us. [00:03:00] Can you share what inspired you to champion Senate Bill 664 and make Holocaust and genocide education mandatory in our Oregon schools?
Speaker 4: Definitely the inspiration came from my dear friend, Holocaust survivor, Alter Wiener. We became friends when I was in fourth grade. I met him after hearing him speak at a school that my aunt taught at in Salem, Oregon. And being able to befriend him after hearing his presentation was something that was definitely unexpected.
But something that forever changed my life in many ways, I would say from that moment on, I knew that I wanted him to be in my life in some way, shape or form, whether it was a friend or a mentor. And luckily I got to have both of those. So it was really amazing to have him for five years in my life. And something that he really made clear to me, and he made clear to many of his friends and his audiences.
was the importance of having this education for students, not just in the state of Oregon, but students [00:04:00] around the world and across the country. And something that really bothered him was seeing that there weren't really pushes to make this education mandatory in our state at that time. And he had tried many times, whether it was, you know, trying to get somebody who was at a town hall to kind of propose that legislation, or if he was I had a friend who wanted to help him champion it, but it never really got off the ground.
And at a time when, here this was 2018 where he was really disgruntled with what he was seeing in the world. The Tree of Life synagogue shooting just occurred. There were incidents of racism, anti Semitism across the nation that were making news headlines every single day. And I saw Alter's hope that this education and his dream of having students educated about these topics.
I saw that hope draining away. And that was kind of what got me interested and got me involved was this was his dream for so long. And I truly believed here we were coming out of, you know, the Parkland school [00:05:00] shooting, where there was a lot of student activism that really made meaningful changes. I really believed that young people could kind of create this change in a new wave that we didn't see before.
And that was really when I kind of thought, maybe I should, Or I could get involved and make the difference that I wanted to see, and then the rest, I guess, was history.
Speaker 3: Yeah, that is so fantastic. And I know you were 14 at the time, which is so young. So you're right, kids can make such a difference. What challenges did you face being a 14 year old trying to get legislative change happening?
And then how did you overcome those challenges?
Speaker 4: I think this is something that a lot of people are surprised by, but I received a lot of significant challenges that was really discouraging at the time. I'd say the biggest one is I received a lot of people who treated me differently because of my age. I had a lot of people that did not like the fact that I was young.
So I had a lot of opposition to my face and online, and I never read the comments. [00:06:00] About yourself on a news article. That's good. That's good because it is, they can be very brutal. And I remember being 14 and looking at the articles and reading the comments and thinking, why would someone write that about me?
But it happens. So I think the biggest thing is you can't let your ego get hurt by anything someone else says or something that somebody, you know, really. Those of opinion they have that it's not true. So even people who were supporters of the bill I had people come up to me and and ask me a question and then say oh I need to ask someone an adult who knows and I was in the room when you know, that appointment was made or X Y Z So, of course I knew but I got discredited a lot because of my age and that was something that I think you know I hold with me forever.
It really was impactful, but I will say being 14, you kind of have some of those bad apples who treated me that way, but I also had equally the amount of people and adults who really supported me and really appreciated that it was a student and [00:07:00] a young person's voice coming forward, so I'd say that there is a positive to kind of that negative experience, and the other challenge would be me.
Just, I think when you're involved in any sort of political process, whether it is at, you know, a school district level, or it's actually political, you know, at state level, working in with legislation, there are always going to be naysayers or people that, you know, are against you. And I think one of the biggest challenges was at, you know, The final house education hearing, there were a lot of students there.
Many LOSD students made the trip down to support and there were actually Holocaust deniers there. So here we are championing this education and then we're in a room full of deniers who took the time out of their day to show up and wanted to spew this in front of other genocide survivors as well. So it was really disheartening to hear their comparisons and, you know, their ideas was very different than.
Ours, clearly, but it also taught me a lot about the power of resilience and not really alter. I always [00:08:00] said how important it was to value all perspectives, even if you didn't understand them, or even if it was something that was deemed, you know, more radical. So I really had it. It took a lot in me to kind of restrain myself from saying something.
These people are really getting involved, but I just made my testimony that much more impactful and that much more charged when I gave it. Although I do think that there were challenges. that were brought on by people, both some supporters and also some people against the bill. Those were the main challenges for sure.
Speaker 3: You know, I've heard you speak numerous times that we've had these conversations, but every time you start talking about it, the amount of courage that you needed as a young, young child, really to make this happen is so remarkable. It's so impressive. I, I'm in awe of you just being in this, you know, the same space as you.
So. With that, what advice would you give to other young students who want to make a difference in their communities or advocate for a cause that they believe in? Like, where do you, where do you start as a young person?
Speaker 4: I think something that, I don't know, this is like a lesser, [00:09:00] I feel like a lot of people in this space don't really talk about this, but I feel like it was a huge part of my journey is really being able to do self reflection before you start.
As we just discussed and as you kind of referenced being a kid or being a young person And doing any sort of advocating for any sort of change, you have to have thick skin, whether it's opposition, whether it's the comments, like I said, or people saying stuff to your face, you have to be able to stand up for yourself and be resilient and bounce back, or else it's going to make your Mission, very difficult.
And that's something that's unfortunate about activism at any age, but especially when you're younger. But the biggest thing that I would say is really believing in yourself, believing in your mission. If you don't believe the changes that you want to see, or you know, you don't wholeheartedly believe in yourself.
have that passion, you're going to burn out. And the big thing is being able to really look at yourself, do self reflection, look at what's important to you, what you value, why you're doing what you're doing. And that's either if you're making a change, you know, [00:10:00] you want to make a change in your own life or a change in your community or a change in your school.
You have to really do it because you want to do it and because you believe in it. So the biggest piece of advice is really look at what you believe in and really follow that practice. The biggest thing that I am most thankful for is just. Having a great support system who really encouraged me to work hard on the things that I loved and believed in.
And I think that when students have that, whether it's in the classroom and the teacher encouraging a special interest, or whether it's at home or at sports practice and a coach really giving that sort of encouragement, if you are able to channel that passion and use kind of that support and momentum and energy to put towards that change that you want to make, you're going to be pretty successful even if the change doesn't end up exactly the way you wanted it to be.
Speaker 3: Sure, and I love that. Looking back, what do you think were those most critical moments or actions that led to the success of this bill? Like, you have the passion, you have the drive, you know what you believe in, and then what were the steps along the way? [00:11:00]
Speaker 4: I would say the biggest thing, and it kind of surprises me when I look back at it, is definitely the media coverage.
I do not think This bill would have passed in a different day and age and it's not because a different Perspective or a different viewpoint, but it was the amount of support We were able to get through using the internet and using social media And I think it's a true testament to why young people should be involved in these sorts of campaigns Because being able to mobilize people has changed drastically in the last 10 years And even more so in the past, you know 10, 20, 30 years and it will continue to change.
I would say the biggest kind of turning point was when we were working on the idea of the bill, I met with State Senator Rob Wagner and we were discussing, you know, what we wanted the bill to be. And then we met with Alter, obviously, and I think the big thing was being able to look at how are we going to get this message across and how are we going to get people to support it.
And it's really easy to say, oh, I'm going to go talk to my neighbor and see if, you know, they'll [00:12:00] write testimony or oh, I'm going to email this person. But when you actually want to make a big change and something that could be somewhat controversial like education legislation is, it's super important to have kind of a big scale level of support that speaks volumes to the legislative people that you're speaking to.
So something that was really important was we had a contact at KTU News, and they were able to run stories and they were very interested in kind of following this, you know, bill, journey, timeline, all of that. And I got a lot of people who would reach out and say, Oh, I saw this on the news. I think it's awesome.
How can I support you? Or people would show up at the hearings because they read about it in the newspaper, the LO Review, who also did very instrumental coverage. Claire Hawley, who worked for the Review, was very involved. It was awesome being able to talk to her after every hearing and, and keeping the community updated on something that was important to a lot of Lake Oswego residents.
So I think that that was the main thing, was being able to really get that coverage. And [00:13:00] then, you know, as, as awful as Alter's passing was, I have to kind of look at it the way that he would. And I do think that it was a catalyst that to kind of get this bill rolling because as Alter testified, he mentioned.
to the state senators, the importance of keeping this education alive as survivors were passing. And then just months later, he was tragically hit and killed by a car. And that same person that they had just heard from in September now died come December. And it really put things into perspective. And I do think that as horrible and horrific as it was, it was an eye opener for the legislature.
So I think that that was another horrible, in my life, and a loss for the world, but a very pivotal moment in this journey. And I know Alter wouldn't 100 percent say the same.
Speaker 3: Yeah, I can only imagine how proud Alter is of you and all of this work that you have done. I just know that for a fact, and I think you know that as well.
And I, I think you know, we [00:14:00] just talked kind of about the steps or the critical moments, but what is your why? Like, why do you believe it's essential for our students to learn about the Holocaust? Like, what, what is your why? Why did you even do this?
Speaker 4: Yeah, I would say it's first hand experience. And as is a lot of stuff that I am really passionate about or cared a lot about, it's because it impacted me and it impacted people that I know.
So being able to see that first hand is something that is, you know, of the utmost importance. importance and impactful. When I met Alter, I was at a very pivotal point in my life. I was a fourth grader and I think a lot of people remember, you know, being in late elementary school and not knowing what middle school will look like or knowing what the future is going to look like.
And it was really awesome to be able to have a mentor who was so wise, but also so down to earth that could talk to me about important stuff going on in the world or really prepare me for the future. being able to find myself when it came the time when I, you know, got into early teenhood. And something that was so important was that [00:15:00] when Alter came to Lakeridge Middle School to speak, I'd already heard him countless times before, but that was the second time where he had come to Lake Oswego and spoke to a student body of people that I, I knew.
And I knew, you know, 75, 80 percent of the room that day, the audience. And being able to see my peers be so impacted by his story and knowing that it wasn't just me impacted was something that was so important. And of course, I was impacted differently because I had a close relationship, I had a friendship, I knew him, you know, better than just people who are audience members.
But seeing people that I've known for years and seeing, you know, I've seen them be so engaged, seeing them ask questions, miss their school bus so that they could hear Alter just get to talk to him one on one. That's something that had a profound impact and we mentioned this in my book and in a lot of my speaking engagements.
I kind of started this legislation after seeing racism and antisemitism in the community and within my own school of Lake Ridge Middle School [00:16:00] and being able to see students, some of which were the ones that were kind of perpetrating this sort of rhetoric and These horrible actions, seeing them apologize or come forward after hearing Alder's presentation was something that I'll never forget and something that was truly amazing.
And seeing that and reflecting on my own experiences, I realized that this sort of education is more than just, you know, simply learning about a world event and wanting to make change in the future. You can learn a lot about yourself, about your values, about not taking things for granted. And I think that being the age of a student, especially in whether it's the Late elementary school, middle school, high school, it's so important to kind of hear these lessons.
And I always say it's so important to learn from history, but it's not just about learning from history. It's about what history can teach you. And for each and every student, that is something different. And I think it's something that is very, very powerful and can be transformative. And, you know, I see that in my life, but I also see that in many peers as well.
Speaker 3: [00:17:00] And how has this experience from, you know, start to finish and alters, very sad passing, how has this shaped you personally and then kind of professionally? Because now you're, you're a young professional moving into a career soon. I mean, after college, I understand, medical school's long and all of that, but, you know, how has
Speaker 4: this shaped who you are?
I would say in ways that I would not have ever expected. I never would have expected that I would, you know, befriend a Holocaust survivor, or that I would, you know, write a book or that I would be involved in the passage of a law. I never would have expected that ever, and I think about if I could tell, you know, my ten year old self that I absolutely would not believe it in any way, shape, or form.
But it has changed me just like who I am as a person. I know that because of Alter's Impact, I value things differently. I have an a Perspective on life that I think many people don't have. I don't think I really had that before I [00:18:00] met Alter. Alter really taught me the importance of being able to cherish every moment and enjoy the little things.
Something that I think a lot of us learn maybe a little later in life. And I feel very fortunate that I learned that. Being, you know, 10, 11, 12 years old was super important. I also really learned the value of education and not just sitting in a classroom or sitting in a college lecture hall, but continuously asking questions, engaging with the world around you, talking to people from different perspectives.
That really is super important to me and very vital. And in a day and age or even a culture where it feels that we're the It's very divided. It's really important to look at other perspectives and to think about people that think differently than yourselves. And I always try to really bring that into everything that I do, whether it's at school or, you know, it's a topic that is in the news.
And I think professionally speaking, I never would have thought that it, I would be here or even talking on the podcast about something like this, but it has really [00:19:00] taught me the importance of going with the flow. And I feel like that's a very basic answer, but for me, it's very real of sometimes you don't prepare for stuff that's going to happen.
You don't know when you're going to be asked to do something. And it's super important as a professional, especially someone in college, to be able to say, okay, I can reschedule that or, you know, I need to make time for this. And it teaches you a lot about living in the real world and I guess being an adult.
So it's something that's really useful. And I kind of got thrown into the deep end a little early on on that front. But I did kind of learn how to swim very well. And now I feel like I'm a good swimmer, not Olympic style, but I'm swimming pretty well in these waters now.
Speaker 3: But that is okay. It's something I've actually heard you say before about going with the flow and accepting change and being flexible.
And it's something that you have actually taught me. So that is something where you're not everybody gets to teach me something, but you definitely have. So what message would you like to leave with students, [00:20:00] young people about the power of making a difference? so much.
Speaker 4: I would say this, a lot of people struggle to believe in the power of one person to make a difference because they feel it's difficult or challenging or there's obstacles that they don't know that they can face.
And I think when you go into it looking at, even if you just change one person's perspective or you make a difference in one life, I honestly don't think it's possible to only change one life because I am a firm believer in the domino effect. And I think that when you change one person, then you can change many people's lives no matter what it is.
It's super important to kind of take your mind out of the idea of, oh, I need to see the change that I'm making, or I need to be at the forefront of these changes. It's more so what kind of comes from that first change. And then once you start seeing the impact that you made, whether it's very little or you hear it from somebody, It's one of the greatest feelings ever, but it doesn't always start out that way.
It can feel really difficult making a change, it can feel challenging, you can feel like maybe you're making the wrong [00:21:00] decision, or it's too hard to put yourself out there. And to other young people, I'd really say don't limit yourself with anything. I'm a really firm believer that You can do the things that you want to do no matter your age, no matter your limitations.
Even if it takes adjustment or you have to make altercations to your original goal, I honestly believe that we are all capable of doing really incredible things for ourselves and our community. And when we kind of take our mind out of limiting that, or limiting ourselves, or saying, you know, I can only do this, or I can only do that, we really do start to see the differences.
And I feel like the bigger the difference, The more you're able to kind of see the effort and energy that you put to make those differences. And I really think it stems from passion that you have. And it kind of goes back to what I said earlier in the podcast of being able to know your why and having that energy and passion and drive is so important in everything that you do.
But especially when you're looking to make a meaningful change, it's got to be one of the most important things. And you really get [00:22:00] that by knowing yourself. And Staying strong in who you are and what you believe in.
Speaker 3: That's amazing. You, just listening to you, it brings tears to my eyes. I think that you are so wise beyond your years.
I mean, for anyone listening out there, again, she graduated in 2022. Are you 20 yet?
Speaker 4: I just turned 20 a week and a half ago.
Speaker 3: All right, just turned 20 year old alumni at Lake Ridge High School, author, pre med student, fantastic speaker, TV news really made legislative change in the state of Oregon and she is just turning 20.
So thank you so much for being here today. I follow you on everything. So can you please tell our listeners how can people follow you and support
Speaker 4: your work? Mostly on my social media. I will say I'm, I haven't been as active as I was really early on, but I still see stuff I still post. So on Instagram, I'm at Claire Sarnowski author.
My name is hard to spell. I know. So you can Google it. Or look at the, probably in the podcast [00:23:00] description or title, it will say. So again, at Claire Cernowski, author, or you can find me on Google. If you have questions, feel free to connect with me on LinkedIn or shoot me a message on the Instagram. And I, I'm pretty good about checking that and writing back.
I love to hear from people. It doesn't even need to be something about. You know, my book or about my work, but just hearing people, or even I've had young people reach out to me asking for advice on changes they want to make, and I love helping them and meeting with them and talking to them. So always feel free to reach out.
And then if you want to learn more about kind of the work that I did, I suggest going online. You can Google, whether it's in the LO Review or national news articles or media, there's a lot more info there. So you can kind of keep up with me online. I'm not hard to find. And yeah, thank you for having me. I really appreciate the work that this podcast is doing, bringing the community to Lake Oswego.
And like I said, I think the technology, being able to bring people together is really awesome. So super cool that I'm able to be part of this for the district.
Speaker 3: Absolutely. [00:24:00] Thank you so much for being here, Claire. Everyone remember My Story. That's her book. Get out there and buy it. It's on Amazon and you can buy it actually a lot of places, but it's a great book and it's, it's something that I think we should all read just to kind of see how her journey impacted her life and how fantastic she is.
So thanks again for being here, Claire, and good luck in school. Thank you. Great. Welcome, Brittany. It is fantastic to have you here in the studio today. Thanks for making the time and let's just jump right into it. As mentioned, I've known Brittany for 17 years as a teacher both at Walooga and at Lakeridge, and she happens to also be an alumni from our district.
Love working with Brittany. I actually one of the things I'm sad about going to district office was losing touch with her So this is so fun to have her here on the show today. So Brittany Can you please tell us about your journey and education and what brought you back to your alma mater? Thanks for having me.
BRITTANY LARSON:: I miss you [00:25:00] too. Interestingly, I grew up as the daughter of two public school teachers turned administrators and I don't know whether it was out of a little bit of rebellion or maybe just seeing them work so hard or having so many family conversations at the dinner table that revolved around school and their work life that I grew up wanting to do anything but education and I like vowed that I would never do that.
It's sad. And that seemed to be going fine according to my plan until high school when I had some really amazing teachers in the Lake Ridge Social Studies Department. My first history class in high school was with Tim Provost, and he made me fall in love with a subject that I didn't really care that much about.
My mom actually found an old report card of mine that said that. I had scribbled at the bottom, I hate social studies, from middle school. So he made me fall in love with the subject. I took an AP history class my last year at Lake Ridge and fell more deeply in love with it. And when I went to college I thought I was going to do sports broadcasting, [00:26:00] and was majoring in journalism, but I had to take a history class, part of the honor college requirement, and It was one of those things where that was the class I was thinking about at night, that was the one I wanted to do the research and the readings for, and so I had to kind of eat crow and email Prove and say, I think you were right with those books on teaching you used to give me as your teacher's aide.
I guess, I guess I'm going to have to recognize that this might be my calling. And so changed my major. I went to graduate school, and then I was doing some student teaching in Westland Wilsonville at the high school level where I thought I always wanted to be. I got switched to the middle school for part of the year, and there happened to be an opening that next fall at Walooga.
And I had gone to Walooga, so I thought, I'd take a chance and was very fortunate enough to be hired by Dr. Sheely, actually, and taught there for eight years. I dabbled in science and Spanish and leadership in addition to my, my passion area of social studies. And nine summers ago now, yeah, [00:27:00] there was an opening at Lake Ridge and it was my dream job because it was the two classes that had made me fall in love with history.
So I got to teach freshman world history and AP European history. And I've been teaching those for the last eight plus years and just added psychology last year. So I, it literally was like coming back home, both literally and my, my spiritual home for like this passion of the subject that I just find fascinating and exciting and terrifying in some ways, but so important.
And so I just want to make other students love history the way I do.
Speaker 3: Absolutely. And for those of you listening, that's exactly how our classes every day, when you go in and watch her teach, that excitement is always there, which is why it's so fun to watch her. So now we're going to be talking a little bit more about a heavy topic.
So how do you approach teaching Holocaust and other genocides in your classroom? It's a struggle
Speaker 5: because it's so dark. Before the term [00:28:00] genocide was even coined, there was use of mass atrocities and these atrocious things that humans Have done to other humans is really hard to to study and to talk about and I think Having to be aware of the sensitivity.
There are a lot of students that that react really emotionally especially when we and I'll talk a little bit later, but we we read a Holocaust memoir written by a survivor of Auschwitz who was 15 Elie Wiesel and there are students that identify with him so deeply that They've told me they have to put the book down for a while because it's too hard.
And I think understanding that students are going to have those emotional reactions when, when they have to grapple with the human factor in all of it is really important. So, I try and be aware that not everyone has studied it so in depth and worked with it so much that they're not as comfortable with it as I am.
And in some ways, I don't want them to be [00:29:00] comfortable. The hardest history is the most important to look at, but we have to get uncomfortable to do that. So I try to approach it with sensitivity. Approach it with nuance, too. I think if we make it just sound like it's the sort of recitation of facts and this is the way it happened and the why of it happened and that there's just like a singular answer to all of that is not realistic.
It's not realistic. And it's not fair to students to teach them that it's that simple. So embracing the nuance, understanding the sensitivity, and then just really trying to, like, tap into the human stories in all of it is what's most important to me, and I think what's most powerful to students. So once we can get beyond numbers or dates or, you know, names of laws or places, To the people, to the stories of the people, that's what makes them
Speaker 3: relate.
And when you're talking about people, what resources and materials do you use to ensure [00:30:00] that comprehensive, sensitive presentation of these topics?
Speaker 5: Well there's a lot of them. And we've kind of experimented with a variety of combos of resources over the years. But one of the most exciting resources that's local is the Oregon Jewish Museum and Center for Holocaust Education that's centered right in Portland.
And they already had a pretty robust offering of different curricular materials and guest lessons and Holocaust survivors prior to the pandemic when the Holocaust happened. It was more possible for survivors to come in, and frankly, there were more of them that were still with us. So we used some of those resources even prior to the, the passing of the bill that Claire helped spearhead.
But what's cool is with the passing that bill, The Center for Holocaust Education's resources have become even more varied and targeted towards the language in that bill. So it's great, because we partner with them every spring, and they come in and [00:31:00] do a guest lesson that talks about stories of resistance, and they're individual stories of people who, in various ways, pushed back against the process of victimization that we teach students about that was at work in the Holocaust.
And some of them are simple stories. You know, one of them's a man who, like, washed his face every day while he was in a concentration turned death camp, and he refused to be dehumanized by the system. And then there are other big stories of resistance, like people who hid Jewish citizens in their homes and risked their lives doing so.
And so when we do lessons like that, or we read Night by Elie Wiesel, and they, they get a first hand account of a 15 year old boy Who, you know, but for an accident of time and space is just like them in a lot of ways that helps bring home The personal piece of it and the human piece of it And we use a lot of resources from the US Holocaust Museum and Memorial We've utilized Some [00:32:00] of the resources that have become more available in terms of like teacher communities in Oregon now that this bill has been passed There are lots of teachers collectively working on how do we approach teaching this topic.
We've used some of those, you know, like things that have been developed in either zoom meetings or in person meetings. And then there's a program from Brown called the choices program, and it deals with all different types of history, but there are some segments on the Holocaust and they, they focus a lot on the fact that.
Humans made choices in this process that eventually ended in what we then termed genocide. And so we try and look at along the way, what were those choices that were made? And how could different choices be made? How can the process of victimization be interrupted? And so Brown's site has a lot of offerings on that.
Speaker 3: Wow, just listening to you, I feel like I'm going to start crying, so I'm not sure how you get through [00:33:00] lessons like this. But how do students generally respond to learning about the Holocaust and what emotions or reflections do they share in class?
Speaker 5: Yeah many of them react emotionally and get to the point of tears at times.
Last Spring when we had some in class time to start reading the book because I try and get them to start reading it in class before I send them home with it. And there were some students who, you know, when I would kind of subtly look out across the room, you could see their eyebrows raised and then you could see their brows furrow and they get frustrated or they are just in shock because they haven't ever read a personal story about it before in the kind of detail.
Like I said, some students have to put down the book for a while. I've had a couple of students who were more artistically inclined and said, well, rather than answering, you know, these first two questions in words, can I create some art that's how I'm responding or like interacting with this text?
And giving [00:34:00] them the ability to To process and channel those emotions in the way that works best for them, I think, is really important. So, we really try to offer a variety of manifestations of an assignment, particularly with night. It ends in a class discussion, and we've given them pre prepared questions that they respond to, you know, on paper.
But we've also asked them to collect powerful quotes, and we open the discussion with questions. Asking each student to tell the group one of their quotes and explain why they picked it. And there are so many students that pick just these like gut wrenchingly powerful lines and then sometimes they'll say something as simple afterwards as like, this, this just stopped me in my tracks when I was reading.
And I felt like I was there and I hated being there, but I like, you know. needed to be to understand [00:35:00] this. I had another student that said, Gosh, this book is like, brutal. You know, it's brutal. It's so hard to read and it's so hard to hear this story, but it's beautifully written and it is powerful. And so I think kind of getting back to your question of, of how we let students respond.
We try to, to elicit a lot of processing on the private, personal end for the student, like just with the text in themselves first and giving them the ability to to wrestle with it a little bit, put their thoughts down on paper or put them into art. And then eventually we end with this discussion.
that also has a lot of safe entrances into the discussion. Like you're reading a quote from the book, it's not the student's own words at first. And I think they feel sometimes safer than entering into their own discussion about what they thought about Eizel's experience or about the Holocaust as a topic when they've got a kind of more [00:36:00] straightforward entry points with a quote from somebody else.
But it is, it is hard sometimes to watch them kind of understand the enormity. of how genocide is a process and sadly genocide is the last step and there's a lot that happens before that on the way to this atrocity. And so helping them grapple with all of the steps of that process and all of the people that are parts of those steps either by choice or by sort of circumstance is tough to watch, but I also think it's so important, like it's so necessary.
And so we just have to help them understand that, you know, if we don't look at history as all the, you know, key sayings, they were doomed to repeat it. So we have to look at the hard history.
Speaker 3: Absolutely. Do you, I mean, when you think about beyond the historical facts, what broader lessons do you hope our students take away from learning about the [00:37:00] Holocaust?
Speaker 5: It kind of goes back to the humanity piece that, you know, humans did this to other humans and humans were the victims of these actions and that as, as gut wrenching as that is to have to realize, I think understanding that when we lose our sense of humanity, especially of others, when, when we embrace language or we embrace ideas about other humans as something less than human.
that genocide is where that can end up. And so I think helping students understand the comprehensive process of victimization, and that it is a long, often slow process, and it often starts what we would consider to be small with words, that that can snowball into horrific acts [00:38:00] of, of mass murder. And I think so many students sort of go, oh gosh, how could that have happened?
It's terrible. And I don't think that's just students. I think that's a lot of adults and humans go, oh my gosh, it's terrible. How could that have happened? And then they want to move on because it's uncomfortable to actually look at the how and the why and wrestling with the fact that in, you know, a place like Germany that was, a democracy that was a civilization that had beautiful poetry and music and culture and that these weren't, I mean, like, these people didn't start out as monsters, right?
And that a lot of ordinary people got wrapped up in this process that turned into something that many of them could never have imagined and were themselves horrified about later. And so I think, helping students see that that's not something that's stuck in the past, and that humanity is capable of those things, but also humanity is capable of stopping them, right, of interrupting the process.
And [00:39:00] a lot of the Holocaust memorials have a phrase, some of them that are above, like Auschwitz has one that says, never again, right? Or that's a bunch of the Berlin memorials. And if we want to make that true, we have to learn how it happened, and why. And so I think helping them understand that process so they can hopefully identify it and interrupt it if it's at work in our current world or in the future is the only way we aren't doomed to repeat the past.
Speaker 3: Absolutely. And then that just brings me to how do you connect these lessons to contemporary issues or historical events that are happening right now, events that are happening right now?
Speaker 5: Well, first of all, we, we don't just look at the Holocaust and we're looking at. instances of genocide, even just in the 20th century.
So in certain classes, we talk about what happened in Armenia during World War One, or we look at what happened in Rwanda in the 1990s. And when we look at those other instances, in addition to [00:40:00] when we spend a whole unit and several weeks on the Holocaust, we are looking at that process of victimization and the six stages that even though they don't always occur in the same order and obviously not exactly the same way that, that the steps in that process are there somewhere every time that we can identify genocide happening.
And so when we study the process and then we're looking at other examples and saying, where do you see these stages showing up in what we're studying right now? They're able to make Those connections. And then the natural next question is, do you see any of those steps or stages occurring anywhere in the world that you are experiencing?
And just fostering a place where they can ask questions about what is going on in their world, in their time, and are there any examples of where the victimization process is at work? And then I think [00:41:00] the really important part is also then saying like, well, what can. What can you do to interrupt that?
And it's probably not flying to some foreign country to, you know, like, stand in the way of that, but it's talking about the issue or it's getting involved in organizations that, you know, have worked towards wherever this, you know, instance of victimization is happening and helping them feel some efficacy.
Speaker 3: Wow. I really appreciate everything that you have shared with us today. I know that this is, again, a really heavy but important topic. Always great to catch up with you. And I wanted to say again for all of our listeners, we are so lucky to have Brittany Larson teaching in our schools. So thank you very much for being with us today and you know, I hope you have a
Speaker 5: great fall.
Well, thank you. And the feeling of fortune is It's mutual. This is a wonderful place to work and there's a reason I came back and a reason I won't ever leave.
Speaker 3: Love it. Thank you so much, Brittany.
Speaker 2: Thanks, Dr. SCHIELE. [00:42:00] Thank you, Claire and Brittany, for sharing your personal journeys and broader educational implications of teaching the Holocaust in our schools.
You highlight the importance of remembering history and fostering understanding. Before we wrap up this episode, Jen, please tell us about the upcoming school events.
Speaker 3: The end of October is the conclusion of the regular fall semester. season, the last matchup of our season between Lake Oswego and Lake Ridge High School.
Please come out and show your support. You can double check the school's athletic calendars for times and dates, but here's what we can look forward to. On October 16th, we have the boys and girls water polo at the district pool. This is probably going to be our last time at the district pool because we will be opening the new Lake Oswego Recreational Aquatic Center.
So come out and have that last experience in our pool. On October 24th, we have the girls soccer. It's at Lake Ridge High School, and the boys soccer is at Lake Oswego High School. And on October 30th, the boys and girls [00:43:00] cross country teams from both high schools will be competing in the district finals at Clackamas County Community College.
Lastly, November 1st is the Lake Oswego Lake Ridge football game at Lake Oswego, which always draws a huge crowd, so come early to grab a seat. Also coming up are our big performances from choirs, bands, orchestra, and our drama department. All families and residents are invited to all of these events, which run on multiple evenings and afternoons.
Lake Ridge High School's drama department presents Chicago the Musical this year. We're so excited. So you can purchase tickets on the school website and our other secondary schools musicals are in the winter and spring, so we'll talk more about that soon.
Speaker 2: Thank you, Jen. A lot to look forward to in the coming weeks.
There's always a lot to learn here in Lake Oswego, and we hope everyone learned something new listening to today's podcast. Please join us next time as we talk about our Talented and Gifted program here in Lake Oswego School District.
Speaker 3: Great. And until [00:44:00] then, keep exploring and stay engaged. Class dismissed.
Speaker: We hope you found this episode informative and helpful. While our discussions are general, we understand each family's experience is unique. If you have specific questions about your child, please contact your school principal. To learn more about the topics we discussed, ask a question, or share ideas for future episodes, please visit LOSDSchools.
org. And remember to like and follow us wherever you get your podcasts. Thank you for engaging with Learning in Lake Oswego. We appreciate your support and look forward to having you with us for our