Rock Falls’ East Coloma-Nelson school to host traveling Holocaust exhibit

ROCK FALLS — East Coloma-Nelson Elementary School in Rock Falls has been selected to host the “Anne Frank: A History for Today” traveling exhibit in May.

The interactive 32-panel exhibit tells the story of Anne Frank, a German-born Jewish girl who kept a diary chronicling her life in hiding from Nazi persecution during the German occupation of the Netherlands during World War II. It also provides in-depth information about Frank’s family, the Holocaust and World War II.

East Coloma-Nelson teacher Christine Murphy said this is the school’s first time hosting the exhibit. She typically ends the school year with her eighth-grade students learning about the Holocaust and thought the exhibit would be the perfect tie-in.

“We’ve always read Anne Frank, however, with this group, I decided not to read the full diary, because it takes a long time, and the eighth grade is busy at the end of the year,” Murphy said. “So, we read excerpts from Anne Frank that worked with our curriculum. While I was researching things for my curriculum, I fell upon this traveling exhibit, and I asked for more information. They asked me some questions about the dynamic of my eighth graders, and said that we’d be a great fit for it.”

Murphy said 24 of her eighth-grade students will work in pairs serving as docents, leading fellow students and school staff on tours of the exhibit after two days of peer-guided training.

“Two trainers will come to us and teach the students about the panels and how to set them up,” Murphy said. “Then, the students will practice with the sixth- and seventh-graders. We are also going to try to invite some other schools for field trip days.”

A community night will be from 5-8 p.m. Thursday, May 8, for the general public.

The opportunity to host the exhibit was made possible through a partnership with the Anne Frank House in Amsterdam and the United States Anne Frank Center.

For more information, contact Murphy at cmurphy@ecolomanelson.net.