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Jillian Curtis needs 6 million stars, and Melrose-Mindoro High School sophomores are helping her reach that goal.
Three classes of sophomores at Melrose-Mindoro used their individual perspectives to design stars for Curtis, using their own materials, symbols, pictures, quotes and poems. The activity not only helped Curtis but expanded a lesson they were learning in school, according to English teacher Marla Hanley.
“This is a way for them to do something to help someone else, and, in the process, the students learn,” Hanley said.
Curtis, 32, of Winona, Minn., decided building a Holocaust memorial with her two sons, Jarrett, 10, and Josh, 11, would be their first project during their first month of home schooling. To remember the 6 million Jews killed in the Holocaust, the Curtises are asking people to send them stars so they can see what the number 6 million looks like.
Curtis posted a request for stars, representing the yellow stars Jews were forced to wear in Nazi Germany, on her blog —
blog-me-til-midnight.blogspot.com — about two months ago.
The students, after hearing about Curtis’ project, each designed a star that would illustrate their understanding of the Holocaust. They did not receive instructions on how to construct their stars. However, the sophomores had to present their stars to the class and explain their design and construction process.
“It was incredible what the kids did,” Hanley said. “I had to get a bigger box to put them in.”
She said even the kids who never say much in class really got involved in the presentation of the projects.
After all the presentations, the students lined their stars up against a chalkboard to see each other’s interpretations of the Holocaust. That, Hanley said, is what impacted the students the most.
“Everybody learns, and that’s what the point is,” Hanley said.
Joe Orso of the La Crosse Tribune contributed to this story.
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