Student museum displays tragedy

A cinder-block gymnasium at Millburn Central has been transformed into a public museum detailing some of the world's most horrific human acts.

Seventh-graders have spent more than a month creating the school's first Holocaust and Genocide Museum.

"I had heard about Darfur on the news, but didn't realize this is still happening," said Chelsea Visser, 13. "All of these people are dying and not much has been done to help them."

Students wrote research papers, made posters and audio recordings, created a PowerPoint presentation and wrote poems about various current and historical instances of genocide, including Darfur, Rwanda and the Rape of Nanjing.

An entire wall in the small gymnasium is dedicated to the Holocaust.

David Schroeder, social studies teacher in charge of the project, said while the topic is depressing and somber, the students got very excited about it.

"They put their hearts and souls into the project," Schroeder said. "In my mind, I knew this had the potential to be great. I had to just keep telling them this is going to be powerful and it will make a statement."

The results have indeed been powerful.

Since opening May 15, the museum has attracted dozens of parents and community members.

Sixth-graders at the Wadsworth school have spent the last week visiting the genocide museum and detailing their feelings afterward.

"The museum was terrific and horrific," said sixth-grader Ben Mueller. "I learned a ton of things, and I realized what types of things are going on that I didn't even know about."

Sixth-grader Cydney Salvador said a family member died in the Armenian Genocide during World War I, so the museum was very personal for her.

"I am angered by this," she said. "They murdered all of these people, and for what? I wish I could stop it all from happening."