Howe Senior GEAR UP students recently took an educational trip to the Dallas Holocaust and Human Rights Museum in Dallas, TX. Group Tour Manager Adilene Hernandez greeted the students upon arrival at the Museum and informed them that during the tour, they would be learning about World War II and the Holocaust.

 Museum Docent Educator Joe Roffman guided students through the Museum and discussed meaningful exhibits, photographs, and artifacts depicting the Holocaust and Jewish life in Europe. The presentation taught the students the importance of human rights to combat prejudice, hatred, and indifference. Before concluding the tour, Roffman led students to a memorial room dedicated to those who perished during the Holocaust and had a moment of silence in their honor.

After the tour by Roffman, students were led to a classroom where the Director of the Library Archives, Felicia Williamson, Project Cataloger Anne Hanisch, and Archives Assistant Robynn Amaba welcomed students to the Artifact Interaction program. GEAR UP students had the opportunity to interact with replica artifacts and photographs. Students reported to the class what they examined and the real-world impact of historical preservation techniques of each artifact piece before ending the classroom session and departing the Museum.

The field trip was sponsored by Eastern Oklahoma State College’s GEAR UP program. Eastern received a $17 million federal GEAR UP grant in 2017 and will serve more than 3,000 students in 39 area schools for seven years.