While reading Elie Wiesel’s book “Night,” Kerri McGinty’s sophomore English class and Eileen Rottkamp’s advanced sculpture class at Harborfields High School joined forces to collaborate on the Butterfly Project and create their own ceramic butterflies. Founded in 2006, the Butterfly Project offers a new approach to teaching the Holocaust that is hands-on, hopeful and profound.
The topic was first brought to light by former student Riley Hannick, who also read “Night” during her sophomore year and was eager to work on a project that was meaningful to her for her National Honor Society assignment. Working with fellow student Ava Ciafardoni, Hannick is creating a mural focused on a message of kindness that will display all of the butterflies created by students and staff.
Together, the teachers, Ciafardino and Hannick worked on a plan that would teach the fundamentals and message of the Butterfly Project, but also include additional resources to further enhance the project. Throughout the day, students gained background knowledge and perspective on the Holocaust, examined the Pyramid of Hate, reflected on their own identity, discussed the theme of “choiceless choice,” reflected on the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum identification cards, viewed the “Not the Last Butterfly” documentary and honored the 1.5 million children that were killed during the Holocaust.
Additionally, students learned the process of sculpture, created and painted their own butterflies with the assistance of art teacher Kalliope Viegas, and analyzed the poem “The Last Butterfly,” written by the child Pavel Friedman during his time in a concentration camp.
“The day was filled with discussion and reflection,” Rottkamp said. “Ms. McGinty and I continued to emphasize the idea that knowledge is power and everyone should be proud of their identity.”
Date Added: 2/13/2024