by George J Elbaum

Rogers New Technology High School (Rogers) is a public charter school grades 9-12 with 655 students of unusual demographics: 50% Hispanic, 44% White, 3% 2-races, and 3% all other, and 61% of these are from low income families.  However, despite these demographics, its 4-year graduation rate is 100% and its students’ college readiness is much above AR state average with SAT score of 1143 and test scores of 72% English, 55% Reading, 32% Math and 44% Science.  The students’ proficiency was definitely reflected by the quality of their questions during the Q&A.

My presentation to 30-some 10^th graders was organized by teacher Meghan Chiquin whose students have been completing a Holocaust poetry/art project for the past few weeks. The students have analyzed Holocaust artwork, read Holocaust poetry, and have just completed a reading of Elie Wiesel’s Night. Students were now nearing the end of their project where they are tasked with creating a piece of art and a poem to represent their feelings about the Holocaust and WWII.

I was both surprised and very impressed by the unique and ambitious Holocaust poetry/art project.  While studying the Holocaust exposes students to some of the worst cruelty and inhumanity that modern well-educated humans can conceive and inflict on others (Germany was the best educated country in Europe pre-WWII), teacher Meghan Chiquin’s poetry/art project shows students the unquenchable creative drive in the human soul and spirit, even in the midst of inhuman cruelty.  This is the first time that I’ve encountered in a high school a conscious effort to show human artistic spirit under inhumane conditions.  It reminds me of the photos of green spring buds bursting from earth torn apart by bombs and artillery fire.  Hope springs eternal from the human soul….

My presentation to Rogers was arranged by Lexi Jason, Education Program Manager of Holocaust Center for Humanity