History books came to life for about 55 eighth grade students who spent a day at the Holocaust Museum, FDR Memorial and the Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial. The trip was part of Bethesday-based Norwood School’s seventh and eighth grade “World History Through an American Lens” curriculum.

“Last year, they finished seventh grade with a study of World War II, so this field trip was a great opportunity as we launch the new school year to reflect on what they studied in seventh grade and to prepare for what they will be learning in eighth grade,” said Michele Claeys, Norwood’s associate head of school and head of middle school. “Their visit to the Holocaust Museum and FDR Memorial brought back much of what they learned last year, and the visit to the Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial was a preview of units coming up later this year.”

“The fact that his statue shows him in a wheelchair symbolizes how much he accomplished even though he was disabled.”

— Pedro Rodriguez, Norwood School, eighth grade

“The Holocaust Museum was really emotional and unreal,” said Sophie Dinte. “It’s scary that this could happen from one person’s perspective on a group of people. In class we talk a lot about how different leaders’ words result in different outcomes in history. One person’s point of view, one person’s words can change history.”

Claeys observed the students grasping the significance of historical events on an emotional level. “The visit to the FDR Memorial helped students understanding on a more visceral level that he led the country through such a significant chunk of history, from the Great Depression through the New Deal through the Second World War,” Claeys said. “The students knew this, but visiting the memorial makes it more real. The students were well prepared for the trip and they knew what they would be seeing, but they were so reflective and respectful at each site.”

The FDR Memorial was particularly moving for Pedro Rodriguez. “The fact that his statue shows him in a wheelchair symbolizes how much he accomplished even though he was disabled,” Rodriguez said. “We learned that this is one of the first memorials where the designers thought about the person’s role as a disabled person.”

Dinte found inspiration in the architectural significance of the memorials. “I thought it was really cool how they explained different periods of his presidency through water,” she said. “The still water reflected the calm periods of his presidency, and the flowing water symbolized the rougher times.”