New London students share details of special D.C. trip
NEW LONDON – The New London juniors and seniors in Misty Ebinger’s Holocaust and Genocide studies class are currently studying the Holocaust and were recently given a unique opportunity to supplement what they are learning.
They spent the weekend of March 15-17 in Washington, D.C., visiting well-known sites such as the Lincoln and Jefferson memorials, Arlington Cemetery, the National Museum of African American History & Culture and the war memorials.
In addition, they met with U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown’s foreign policy staffer Drew Martineau, and also were given a tour of the Armenian Embassy and met with officials there. This was especially meaningful for the students because they studied the Armenian Genocide earlier in the year.
One of the highlights of their weekend was touring the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, which was a very moving and profound experience. Many of the students discussed it when asked about their reaction to the trip.
Junior Morgan Johnson said, “When I got home from the trip, I couldn’t stop talking about everything we’d seen. The second my mother walked through the door I was telling her everything. I showed her every picture I had taken and told her every story I could remember.”
Johnson offered additional thoughts as well.
“What made the biggest impact to me was the
Holocaust Museum, walking through all the exhibits and reading all the facts of what truly happened was both fascinating and heartbreaking at the same time,” Johnson said. “What made the biggest impact on me in the Holocaust Museum alone was the videos and pictures. As I showed my mom the pictures I took and told her the atrocities of what happened I couldn’t help but cry.”
Nothing can prepare a person for the videos, Johnson said.
“When walking into the museum there is a large quote on the wall that says ‘This museum is not an answer. It is a question.’ – Elie Wiesel,” Johnson said. “This quote meant a lot more when you’re done walking through all the exhibits. I had a lot of questions. But the one that always comes back to me is ‘what?’ Everyone, if given the chance, should see the Holocaust Museum.”
New London junior Taneil Waugaman said: “My thoughts after the DC trip were kind of all over the place. I think that it is very important for people to know and learn about real world tragedies like the Holocaust.”
“But it is even more important to learn about and understand the impact something like this has on the world – the impact it had on countries, states, communities, and people in general,” Waugaman said.
“It’s important to understand and realize the effect the Holocaust had on so many people,” Waugaman said. “It’s important to realize how much hate and prejudice can tear humanity apart for the worst. But most importantly, it is important for our generation and for our society as a whole to learn and grow from this event.”
Waugaman added: To realize that it was wrong, to realize that what the Nazis did to these people was nothing but pure evil and cruelty of the worst kinds.
And to never let someone so hate-filled and evil to have so much power over society. To never just stand by and turn a blind eye to tragedy. To do something and to stand up to morally wrong things like this.”
Ebinger said of the trip, “It couldn’t have gone more smoothly, and they were a great group of students. It meant a lot to me that except for their own incidentals and souvenirs, the trip was free.”
This was possible because of generous donations from the Rotary United Fund, the New London Eagles, a grant from the Olga Lengyel Institute in New York City and private individuals, Ebinger said.
The final stop for the trip was a screening of the movie “One Life” starring
Anthony Hopkins.
He portrays Nicholas “Nicky” Winton, who helped rescue hundreds of predominantly Jewish children from Czechoslovakia before the Nazis closed the border.
Ebinger said much of what they saw over the weekend was very serious, and she was pleased that this story of rescue and hope ended their trip.
She added not only was the trip a priceless addition to what they are studying, it also expanded horizons for students who had never been to Washington, never flown, never ridden a subway or never navigated through a large city.
Ebinger finished by saying one of the most lovely and unexpected parts of the trip was seeing the cherry blossoms in bloom.
A junior, Hayley Spoerr, said she found special meaning in everything they saw, including the Vietnam Women’s Memorial and the Armenian embassy. But “Someone special to my heart loves cherry blossoms and it was awesome to share my love for them even seven hours away.”
Taking the trip were students Angela Bergholz, Bryan Brickman, Mason Cowie, Tara Davidson, Morgan Johnson, Corinne Ledyard, Katie Kayser, Jalen Randleman, Weston Risner, Emilee Rowland, Aiden Ruggles, David Speicher, Hayley Spoerr and Taneil Waugaman. In addition to Ebinger, adults accompanying the students were Bobbi Hudberg and Tiffany Cowie.