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Christian Home & School
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High School Ed.
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www.csionline.org
MEMBER SCHOOL NEWS
Anneke Branderhost
, a teacher at
Calvin Christian High School in Fridley,
Minnesota, was awarded the Courage
to Teach award by Tolerance Minne-
sota, a program of the regional Jewish
Community Relations Council. Brander-
host teaches a course titled Holocaust
Literature and Art. Tolerance Minnesota
has been a partner in providing a variety
of resources for the class.
Branderhost is in her fifth year of teaching at Calvin Christian
High School and her third year of teaching Holocaust Litera-
ture and Art, a course that she designed as a way of combin-
ing history and language arts.
"I have been interested in learning about the Holocaust from
a young age for a variety of reasons" she said. "First, I was
interested after hearing stories from my Oma and Opa [my
grandparents]. My Opa's family was involved in the Dutch
Underground to rescue Jews. My Oma had an aunt who
was Jewish; that aunt lost all of her family to the Holocaust,
mostly in Auschwitz. I began to ask questions, and my third
grade teacher, Mrs. Kikkert, sparked these questions into ac-
tion when we read Number the Stars together. She took the
time to sit with me and answer my questions and challenge
me to act justly and compassionately. My passion for learn-
ing about the past in hopes to make change for the future
continued as I pursued a history and language arts education
degree at Calvin College. I am thankful to have found a job
at a school that would allow me to design this course and
provide the necessary tools."
The class is designed to study the Holocaust through a
variety of perspectives through literature, music, poetry, art,
photography, theater, and most importantly, Holocaust survi-
vors who come to share their stories with the class.
Branderhost thinks the students most appreciate a move
away from statistics. Through the course, students move
toward people, hearing the stories from mothers and boy-
friends and artists and farmers and brothers and doctors . . .
ordinary people with an extraordinary past. Additionally, the
class works toward understanding the role of a bystander and
the importance of actively living out Micah 6:8. God calls us to
justice and mercy. What does this look like in times of injus-
tice? Students also study modern-day genocide and injustice
and work
toward
raising
awareness
of these
societal
evils.
Students
have begun
a six mil-
lion stars
project as
a result of
the course.
Six million Jews were lost in the Holocaust, and the class
decided to try to visually demonstrate six million by drawing
six million stars (www.youtube.com/watch?v=hgK-xh8QEcc).
Branderhost said, "What I love about this project is that it
brings together people in an act of working toward justice
and love to remember a time when Hitler worked toward
dividing people, promoting hatred. We are at over one million
stars and would love any help offered!"
Branderhost sees a change in her students and in herself
as well. She said, "When I see my students cry because of
injustice, I am moved. When I hear my students ask tough
questions, I am reminded why I teach. When I see my stu-
dents recognize their role in social justice and actively work-
ing toward living out Micah 6:8, I have hope."
Calvin Christian School enrolls more than 450 students at
three locations--the high school campus in Fridley and K8
campuses in Blaine and Edina.
High School Teacher
Receives Courage to
Teach Award