The Midwest Center for Holocaust Education is pleased to announce the finalists in its 25th annual White Rose Student Essay Contest.
The Holocaust in the East
Historical events impact individuals in unique and varied ways, framed by many factors including experience, geography, the progression of time. The effort to personalize the history of the Holocaust seeks to counter the perception that there was one universal perspective.
Jews living in Eastern Europe (defined here as Poland, Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia, Belarus, Ukraine and the Soviet Union) constituted the largest population of Jews in the world. Beginning with the Nazi invasion of Poland on September 1, 1939, Polish Jews faced immediate persecution and acts of violence. By summer 1941, Operation Barbarosa brought total war and genocide to the Jews of eastern Poland and the Soviet Union. Those two years represented a radicalization of Nazi policy toward the Jews that was driven by ideology, conditions of war, and opportunity, culminating in the formulation of the Final Solution.
Students were asked to research the evolution of Nazi policy in one East European country – explaining how that evolution related to the progression of the war and how it was experienced by a Jewish individual or family. In reflecting on their research, students further explored how the Holocaust is memorialized today in the country they studied.
8th - 9th Grade Finalists
| Ella Burvee—Oxford Middle School Sponsoring Teacher: Megan Trimble |
Annie Fingersh—Hyman Brand Hebrew Academy Sponsoring Teacher: R. Gina Renee |
| Lillian Flood—Harmony Middle School Sponsoring Teacher: Michelle Sutton |
Garrett Griffiths—Oxford Middle School Sponsoring Teacher: Andrea Husted |
| Elise Grosdidier—Oxford Middle School Sponsoring Teacher: Andrea Husted |
Josie Grodidier—Oxford Middle School Sponsoring Teacher – Andrea Husted |
| Zach Hardy—Hyman Brand Hebrew Academy Sponsoring Teacher – R. Gina Renee |
Kevin Li—Harmony Middle School Sponsoring Teacher – Nancy Torgler |
| Dasha Sandomirsky—Oxford Middle School Sponsoring Teacher – Andrea Husted |
John Vitha—Aubry Bend Middle School Sponsoring Teacher – Jon Holsapple |
10th - 12th Grade Finalists
| Isabella Allen—Lone Jack High School Sponsoring Teachers: Bailey Appleton & Angela Gottesburen |
Aubrey Badgerow—Lee’s Summit High School Sponsoring Teacher: Christopher Bobal |
| Carley Baker—Lone Jack High School Sponsoring Teachers: Bailey Appleton & Angela Gottesburen |
Lukas Hawes—Lone Jack High School Sponsoring Teachers: Bailey Appleton & Angela Gottesburen |
| John Lubianetsky—Barstow School Sponsoring Teacher: Angela Guldin |
Kyle Maki—Lone Jack High School Sponsoring Teachers: Bailey Appleton & Angela Gottesburen |
| Josh Rehwaldt—Lee’s Summit High School Sponsoring Teacher: Christopher Bobal |
Rebecca Roth—Lone Jack High School Sponsoring Teacher: Bailey Appleton & Angela Gottesburen |
| Hunter Stansfield—Lone Jack High School Sponsoring Teachers: Bailey Appleton & Angela Gottesburen |
Macy Wright—Lone Jack High School Sponsoring Teachers: Bailey Appleton & Angela Gottesburen |
This year’s contest is made possible by a gift from Katherine DeBruce and by members of MCHE’s White Rose Society.
The contest is named in memory of Hans and Sophie Scholl, German university students who, along with several friends and their professor, were arrested and executed for distributing leaflets denouncing the evils of the Nazi regime. The project commemorates the heroic efforts of these brave young people, members of the White Rose, who gave their lives for the causes of understanding, tolerance, and freedom. May their memories inspire us to reflect upon our own responsibilities as citizens in a democratic nation.