by George J Elbaum

Carlmont High School (its campus straddles the adjacent towns of San Carlos and Belmont) has an enrollment of approximately 2200 students of high diversity – 50% White, 22% Asian, 18% Hispanic, 6% two or more races.  Its Great Schools Rating is 9 (out of 10) overall and 10 for academic performance – its College Readiness score is 69% above state average, and its SAT test scores in English and Math are respectively 68% and 82% above state average.

The audience for my presentation was mostly 10^th graders taking the Modern European History class taught by teacher David Braunstein, who organized the event and invited other teachers and their classes such that over 150 students participated in it.  His students read about Auschwitz, Treblinka, forced labor, Dr. Mengele’s medical experiments on prisoners, and they discussed the importance of learning about the Holocaust “so that no other people have to go through a similar experience.”  My talk was a part of that learning, and David invited his son and his parents, Jacob and Pauline Braunstein, to hear it.  Other faculty participating in the presentation were David’s student teacher Steve Lucchesi, teachers Stephen Lucia and Marcello Dicicco, and instructional associate John Parker Campbell.

Arrangements for my talk were made by Penny Savryn, Program Coordinator of the Jewish Family and Children’s Services Holocaust Center.

introduction by teacher David Braunstein

starting….