By Chloe Johnson
After making abstract posters capturing the reality of genocides, the tenth graders will show off their artwork to the public. On Wednesday, April 27, 2016 from 5-6PM, Mrs. Bange, Director of the Educational Resource Center at Wright State University, will host a closing reception for the genocide posters. The event will be held at the Charles and Renate Frydman Educational Resource Center (ERC) on the campus of Wright State University. The resource center is connected to the College of Education and Human Services. Interestingly, the ERC also houses the Dayton Holocaust Resource Center. Furthermore, the ERC was named after Charles and Renate Frydman, both Holocaust survivors. Uniquely, between the months of April and May, the Jewish Holiday Yom HaShoah, or "Holocaust Days of Remembrance" is celebrated. Mrs. Bange said, “In 2016, it will be observed on May 4th. We will have the artwork on display from mid-April- through mid-May.” From five to six, the public will be able to view the posters and hear testimonies from the tenth graders about the project and what it means to them. For the past six years, the genocide posters have been displayed by the ERC. Mrs. Bange believes “there is nothing that is more special than seeing something artistic created by a young person.” Similar to the tradition, this year’s tenth graders will be displaying their work for the public to see and marvel about.
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| Fatima Boumahchad explains to DRSS Board Member, Jennifer Winner, what her poster is depicting last year during the same event. |
Additionally, the genocide
poster project memorialized genocides using metaphorical images and bold
slogans and statistics. This project has been going on for quite a while, and
each year, students have different opinions on what their favorite part of the
project was. For Brianna Perkins, a tenth grader who attends the Dayton
Regional STEM School, her favorite experience was “portraying what she wanted
to show about the genocide she read about.” The students read books that were
connected to the genocides they portrayed in their posters. She also added, “It
[the posters] did not have to be about people dying or be about a certain
thing.” For example, her group’s poster was about the landmines that are still
in Cambodia from the Cambodian genocide.
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| Many students came to the event to talk about their artwork with guests, including many parents who came to see the posters. |
In addition, this project is
special because not every school teaches about genocides. The tenth graders are
exposed to eight weeks of information about devastating genocides to compose an
informational poster. This year, the genocide posters have lived up to
expectations that previous classes before them set. Mrs. Bange stated, “Each
year, these posters have been outstanding, perhaps each year better than the
last.” The tenth graders are looking forward to this event. According to Katie
Jones, a tenth grader who attends the Dayton Regional STEM School, she is
mostly looking forward to seeing other peoples’ work because she did not get to
see as many during the process of making the posters.
In summary, it is important to share these posters with the public because as a STEM student, we are taught to share our work and teach others. Like many students, Katie learned “They [genocides] happen more often than you think, especially now.” Sharing the posters with the public is significant for the tenth graders because they want people to learn what they have learned by participating in this project.
If you are interested in seeing the tenth graders’ posters, come out and support them on April 27th at the Charles and Renate Educational Resource Center on Wright State University’s campus. You won’t be disappointed.
