{"id":882,"date":"2015-02-17T23:18:00","date_gmt":"2015-02-17T22:18:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/hajdarovic.com\/blog\/?p=882"},"modified":"2026-01-17T23:23:00","modified_gmt":"2026-01-17T22:23:00","slug":"twenty-five-teachers-chosen-to-participate-in-auschwitz-the-past-is-present-professional-development-program","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/hajdarovic.com\/blog\/en\/2015\/twenty-five-teachers-chosen-to-participate-in-auschwitz-the-past-is-present-professional-development-program\/","title":{"rendered":"Twenty-Five Teachers Chosen to Participate in \u201cAuschwitz: The Past is Present\u201d Professional Development Program"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Twenty-five educators from 11 countries and four continents have arrived in Poland this week to participate in a landmark professional development program. The initiative, “Auschwitz: The Past is Present,”<\/strong> is a joint effort by the USC Shoah Foundation<\/strong> and Discovery Education<\/strong> to mark the official 70th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz on January 27.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

Selected from a highly competitive pool of global applicants, these teachers are embarking on a four-day intensive workshop designed to deepen their understanding of Poland\u2019s historical landscape. The program aims to bridge the gap between the atrocities of the Holocaust and modern classroom instruction by visiting authentic sites, including the Auschwitz-Birkenau State Museum<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The educators will have the unprecedented opportunity to meet with a large group of Holocaust survivors before attending the official commemoration ceremony, organized by the Auschwitz-Birkenau State Museum and the International Auschwitz Council.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A central component of the program is IWitness<\/strong>, the USC Shoah Foundation\u2019s educational platform. IWitness provides students with access to over 53,000 audiovisual testimonies from survivors and witnesses of the Holocaust and other genocides.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

By the January 27 anniversary, 16 new multimedia activities specifically based on Auschwitz testimonies will be available for secondary schools. “Survivors shared their stories because they understood how vital it was that future generations never forget what happened at places like Auschwitz,” said Dr. Kori Street<\/strong>, USC Shoah Foundation Director of Education.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The partnership between the USC Shoah Foundation and Discovery Education extends beyond the teachers on the ground in Poland. To ensure the 70th anniversary reaches classrooms worldwide, the organizations are developing a Virtual Field Trip<\/strong> set for release in the spring of 2015.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

About the Organizers<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
    \n
  • USC Shoah Foundation:<\/strong> Housed at the University of Southern California, the Institute is dedicated to making audiovisual interviews with survivors a compelling voice for education and action.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • Discovery Education:<\/strong> The global leader in standards-based digital content for K-12 classrooms, reaching over half of all U.S. schools and students in 50 countries.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n

    United States educators are:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      \n
    • Karen Wells, Midland High School, Midland School District, Pleasant Plains, Ark.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
    • Laurie Schaefer, Mount Tabor High School, Winston-Salem\/Forsyth County Schools, Winston
      Salem, N.C.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
    • Soljane Quiles, Highlander Charter Middle\/High School, Warren, R.I.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
    • Laura Pritchard, Nansemond Suffolk Academy, Suffolk, Va.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
    • Barbara Fowler, Turning Point Learning Center, Emporia, Kan.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
    • Steven Howell, James A. Garfield High School, James A. Garfield Local School District,\u00a0Garrettsville, Ohio.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
    • Jeannie Woods, Fort Payne Middle School, Fort Payne School District, Fort Payne, Ala.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
    • Sabina Kobinski, Archbishop Molloy High School, Jamaica, N.Y.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
    • Christa Calkins, Campbell-Savona Junior\/Senior High School, Campbell-Savona Central School\u00a0District, Campbell, N.Y.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
    • Merinda Davis, Lakeridge Junior High School, Alpine School District, Orem, Utah.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
    • Keith Stringfellow, Charlotte Islamic Academy, Charlotte, N.C.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
    • Matthew Vincent, Bath County High School, Bath County School District, Owingsville, Ky.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
    • Bobbie Downs, Burlington County Alternative High School, Burlington County Special Services\u00a0School District, Pemberton, N.J.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
    • Emily Bengels, Readington Middle School, Readington Township Public Schools, Whitehouse\u00a0Station, N.J.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
    • Tracy Sockalosky, Wilson Middle School, Natick Public Schools, Natick, Mass.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n

      International educators are:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

        \n
      • Ingrid Alexovics, Pecsi Radnoti Miklos Economic Secondary School, Pecs, Hungary.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
      • Anna Krisztina Berecz, Liceul Teoretic, Odorheiu Seculesc, Romania.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
      • Christine Cole, Shepparton High School, Shepparton, Australia.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
      • Miljenko Hajdarovic, Cakovec High School, Cakovec, Croatia.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
      • Larry Mikulcik, William Derby School, Strasbourg, Saskatchewan, Canada.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
      • Adam Musial, Zespol Szkol Ogolnoksztalcacych Spolecznego Toiwarzystwa Oswiatowego, Krakow, Poland.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
      • Steven Richardson, The Ripley Academy, Ripley, Derbyshire, United Kingdom.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
      • Johanna Soderholm, Akademi University, Vaasa, Finland.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
      • Daniela Vitaskova, Obchodn\u00ad akademie a hotelov \u0161kola, Trebic, Czech Republic.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
      • Davis Wamonhi, Kagarama Secondary School, Kigali, Rwanda.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

        Twenty-five educators from 11 countries and four continents have arrived in Poland this week to participate in a landmark professional 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