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Whitwell, TN
Children's Holocaust Memorial at
Whitwell Middle School
1130 Main Street
Whitwell, TN 37397
423-658-5631
In 1998 eighth grade students at Whitwell Middle School began an after-school study of the Holocaust. The goal of this study was to teach students the importance of respecting different cultures as well as understanding the effects of intolerance. As the study progressed, the sheer number of Jews who were exterminated by the Nazis overwhelmed the students. Six million was a number that the students could not remotely grasp. The students asked Sandra Roberts and David Smith if they could collect something to help them understand the enormity of this extermination. The teachers told the students to ask permission of principal, Linda M. Hooper. She gave the students permission to begin a collection, IF, they could find something to collect that would have meaning to the project. After some research on the Internet, the students decided to collect paper clips because they discovered that paper clips were 1) invented by Norwegians and 2) that Norwegians wore them on their lapels as a silent protest against Nazi occupation in WWII.
Students began bringing in paper clips. They wrote letters to famous people asking for a paper clip. The students also asked people to share their reasons for sending a paper clip. To date approximately 30 million paperclips have been sent to
Whitwell
Middle School
. In addition, the project has received 30 thousand + letters, documents, and artifacts. All of these have been counted and catalogued by students and are on display in the Children's Holocaust Memorial and in the school library.
The paper clip collection has become a part of the "Children's Holocaust Memorial" created by the students, staff, and community of
Whitwell
Middle School
. The Memorial contains 11 million paper clips housed in an authentic German transport car honoring the lives of all people murdered by the Nazis. And eleven million other paper clips are contained in a monument honoring the children of Terezin. Eighteen (for chai-Hebrew for life) butterflies (the Christian symbol of renewal) enhance the grounds around the rail car. The students, staff, and community of
Whitwell
Middle School
have transformed the car from a death car into a symbol of renewed life honoring the lives of those murdered by the Nazis. For generations of Whitwell students, a paper clip will never again be just a paper clip. Instead, the paper clip is a reminder of the importance of perseverance, empathy, tolerance, and understanding.
The students, staff, and community of
Whitwell
Middle School
welcome you to the Children's Holocaust Memorial & Paper Clip Project Website. As you visit this site, please take some time to reflect on your power to make a difference in the world. We believe that each person can choose to make a positive impact on the lives of others.
Hours: Visitors who wish to have a guided tour and read some of the letters and documents that have been sent to the project MUST email to lhooper@mctns.net. Please put the word VISIT on the subject line. Although we try to accommodate interested parties, we are a public school. In order not to interrupt instruction, we can only accommodate guided tours on a very limited basis. We offer student led tours only on Fridays at 10:40am Central time. Please consult the school calendar for days when school is in session.
www.marionschools.org/holocaust/
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