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Tuesday, March 12, 2013

Holocaust Conference for High School Students



For the first time, Pacific Lutheran University’s Annual Powell-Heller Conference for Holocaust Education will offer a program designed specifically for high school students. The conference, now in its sixth year, will be held tomorrow, Wednesday, March 13, through Friday, March 15. The high school program will take place on Friday.

The theme of this year’s conference is “Empowerment,” and the goal is to give educators, students and members of the community a way to use the lessons of the Holocaust to empower themselves and others. The high school curriculum, designed by Annie Wright history teacher Bridgette McGoldrick and Charles Wright history teacher Nick Coddington, addresses issues such as identifying injustices and taking personal responsibility, and uses resources developed by the Jewish Partisan Education Foundation. 

The program includes breakout sessions on defiance and empowerment, a talk with Holocaust survivor Suzie Sherman, and a campus tour and discussion of the college process.

“Our aim is to provide students with an opportunity to grapple with ideas about this topic that both complement and contradict their own personal worldviews,” said McGoldrick. “They will hopefully leave with a better understanding of the Holocaust, not only as an important historical event, but also as a part of the unfolding narrative of world history in the 21st century context. Experiences like these, outside the classroom, ultimately provide history students with a better sense of how they can be active agents of change in their communities and the world.”

The entire senior class at Annie Wright Upper School will attend the conference, which is free for all high school students. Parts of the conference will also be streamed live on the PLU website and Facebook page. 

Saturday, March 9, 2013

Travel Talk at Annie Wright



Annie Wright Schools host a monthly World Affairs Council Tacoma "Travel Talk" featuring international scholar/travelers and countries around the world.

World Affairs Council Tacoma "Travel Talks" are free and open to everyone in the community. The events take place in the Great Hall at Annie Wright Schools, 827 North Tacoma Avenue, Tacoma, WA, 98403.  The next one is:

Wednesday, March 13, 2013, 7:00 to 8:30 pm
Harps and Harpists Around the World:  A Musical Journey

The World Affairs Council Tacoma (WACT) is an organization devoted to promoting activities that enhance public awareness and interest of international, cultural, economic and political issues.

For more information, visit www.aw.org/travel_talks

Founded in Tacoma in 1884, Annie Wright Schools are two schools on one campus. Annie Wright Day School serves boys and girls in Preschool through Grade 8, while Annie Wright Upper School offers all-girls day and boarding programs for Grades 9 through 12. Annie Wright is proud to be an International Baccalaureate World School. Learn more at www.aw.org.