Jesse Tanetta leads an antisemitism session
The Holocaust Commission capped off the summer in August with its first educators’ conference since 2019.
The 15th conference, Reflections of the Past: Words STILL Matter, was a partnership between the Commission, the Virginia Beach Public Schools, and Echoes & Reflections, a leading professional education organization for teachers of Holocaust in the country.
Open to all area public and private school educators and held at Old Donation School in Virginia Beach, the conference energized attendees, both in-person and online, with updates from the Virginia Department of Education and with four sessions of top-notch pedagogy from world-class trainers.
Educator attendees say they appreciated the resources of Echoes & Reflections and the Holocaust Commission, and are looking forward to utilizing them this school year. Kaitlin Haddock from Lynnhaven Middle School says she learned “how to teach in a way that sparks conversation.” Courtney Bennis from Cox High School says she couldn’t wait to use the media literacy lesson with connections to today in the classroom.
Several attendees have signed up for a What We Carry presentation, so the school year is starting off well for the Commission.
Photography by Mark Robbins.
–Elena Barr Baum