Date: Fri 26-Jan-1996

Publication: Bee

Author: STEVEB

Quick Words:

schools-World-War-II

Full Text:

High School Freshman Study The Great War

B Y S TEVE B IGHAM

The halls of Newtown High School were turned into a virtual World War II

museum last week as students in Allison Epstein's freshmen European History

classes displayed what they had learned all semester.

The second-year teacher organized the event to provide the ninth graders with

the opportunity to exhibit the work they had done throughout the semester.

Attempting to write from a European perspective, each student completed a

four- to five-page term paper on either a person, place, event or battle from

World War II.

"We wanted the students to show how much they had learned to both themselves

and the community," Ms Epstein explained. "Parents had the opportunity to see

what the kids had been working on and the students left that night with a

sense of accomplishment."

More than 100 parents, brothers and sisters, teachers and administrators

attended the war archives, which featured videos, pictures, charts and maps.

Freshman Travis Tietjan studied the Spanish Civil War and spoke about it

eloquently to a group of parents that had stopped by his desk to see what his

project was all about.

"The Spanish Civil War was sort of like a dress rehearsal for World War II. A

lot of people believe World War II was indirectly caused by the Spanish Civil

War," he explained.

Nate DelVecchio researched the Invasion of Normandy. His report discussed the

details of the attack and how it changed the face of the war by giving the

allies a European front.

Sharon Smith studied the Auschwitz Concentration Camp in Poland where millions

of Jews were systematically exterminated by the Nazis. Kate Kitterman did an

in-depth study on President Harry S. Truman, the man who called for the atomic

bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, while Kim Snow recapped the Battle of

Britain.

Marissa Miller's grandfather, James Nugent, showed up to talk to parents and

students about his experiences during the war. He was involved in both the

Battle of the Bulge and the invasion of Normandy, two of the war's most famous

battles.

NHS History Department Head Robert Dilzer said he was impressed with how well

the students were able to handle a dialogue about their subject of study.

"It's an excellent idea because it provides a purpose or a focus to student

learning," he explained. "It gives them a chance to demonstrate what they've

learned. They almost became the teachers that evening."

Mr Dilzer said he asked several of the students if they were enjoying

themselves and most said they were, though they admitted they didn't expect

they would beforehand.