Middle School Students Attend Holocaust Museum For Leadership Day

PLAINFIELD, IL — As a way to gain a deeper understanding of the Holocaust, five eighth-graders from John F. Kennedy Middle School visited the Illinois Holocaust Museum and Education Center Feb. 22 as part of a Student Leadership Day trip.

Students Tamar Akoto, Kellen Cremer, Jessica Jiang, Camila Marquez, and Nidhruv Murali were able to visit the museum by writing an essay explaining how attending the program would inspire them to be a change-maker in their school and beyond, District 202 officials said Monday.

The February program included a tour of the museum and group discussions with other middle school students. Each school present also got an action plan to take home, according to Tom Hernandez, director of community relations.

The students, according to the news release, had different takeaways from the excursion.

"I got to see how other students from my area tackle hard problems and how their schools differ from mine," Murali said.

Jiang, on the other hand, said "communication is an important leadership skill and collaborating with those other students allowed me to improve it."

Akoto, whose favorite exhibit was the Remembrance Hall, said she "enjoyed looking at the different exhibits at the museum," while Marquez said she "enjoyed all the things we learned and how we could help others."

Eighth-grade social studies teacher Margaret Berry, also a member of the museum's Educator Advisory Committee, said in a statement that the students "did a fantastic job working with others and presenting for their groups."