Eighth Graders Bring Awareness To

A Much Overlooked Crisis

By Susan Coney

Eighth grade students from the gifted program at Newtown Middle School have been studying the Holocaust this year and now they are focusing on bringing awareness of the genocide taking place in Darfur. Their teacher, Patrice Gans, stated, “We have been studying the Holocaust as a window into the human psyche’s propensity for prejudice, bigotry, and intolerance. The students viewed movies, listened to Holocaust survivors, visited the United Nations, and learned how genocide continued after the Holocaust, specifically in Rwanda and now Darfur.”

As part of the unit the students studied the conflict in Darfur, wrote editorials and submitted them to various publications to promote community awareness, and have organized an assembly, to be held on Friday, April 7, to inform classmates of the atrocities taking place in other parts of the world.

Ashley Cech said that her class has been studying the genocide taking place in Sudan. “We’re trying to tell people about Darfur so that people know what is going on so they can help stop it. It has really been an informative project. I think it is important to take note of other countries, what their political positions are and what you can learn from them,” Ashley said.

Classmate Patrick Shirley said, “I didn’t even know this was happening at all. It opens up your eyes so that you can help. We are presenting our projects to the school to let them know what is happening in other parts of the world. That is what this project is about; to get others to help.”

The eighth graders meet twice a week and have been working diligently to prepare a video, PowerPoint presentation, and to speak to the student body to encourage others to become involved. The group of motivated students is asking for their classmates support by signing a petition to be sent to the United Nations asking that more help be given to the people of Darfur.

“Education is the first step in stopping genocide. Studying the horrors of the past has motivated these teens to take action against the genocide in Darfur,” Ms Gans said.