A Survivor

     How lucky we were to have Mrs. Esther Lederman with us today!  Our teacher Ms. Finkelstein, whose 10th grade students are studying Elie Wiesel's Night, contacted The Center for Holocaust, Genocide, and Human Rights Education of North Carolina to see if a Holocaust survivor could speak to the 10th graders.
     One of the slogans of the Center is, "When you listen to a witness, you become a witness," and I believe the students in attendance understood the truth and weight of that by the end of their time with Mrs. Lederman.  She was incredibly generous in describing her experience of hiding in an attic for two years to evade the Nazis, after they had murdered her mother and younger sister and sent her father to Buchenwald.

     There is a 28-minute documentary on Mrs. Lederman's story available for free on youtube here.

Shuffling with Shamrocks

     I believe our brains and our bodies are more closely and inextricably connected than we can even imagine, and any proper education must teach students the skills, the importance, and the joy of movement!  Our elementary PE teacher, Sherry Penland, could stand on the side of the field and bark at the kids to "Run!" because "It's good for you!" . . .  or she could make an event (the Shamrock Shuffle) that is so fun the kids run laps without even really knowing they're "exercising."

     Thank you Ms. Sherry for the art and creativity you bring to your work with our kids! and for keeping them moving with smiles on their faces!