High School Essay Category
First Place ($750): Laila E. Fox, Roane County High School
Second Place ($500): Avery Patterson, Roane County High School
First Place Teacher Sponsor ($250): Darrell Schwartz, Roane County High School
From Mr. Schwartz:
Maria Kimmelman was a Holocaust Survivor who dedicated her life to teaching children and the communities of East Tennessee about what happened in the Holocaust. Mrs. Kimmelman spoke several times when she was alive to the students at Roane County High School. Both RCHS students that won first and second place read her book Echoes from the Holocaust and wrote a paper regarding her life, how it impacted their lives, and what we have learned from her.
Excerpt from The Tennessee Holocaust Commission:
Mira Kimmelman (1923-2019) was a Woman of Valor.
"A Holocaust survivor who endured not only incarceration in Auschwitz, but a deadly and horrific death march to Bergen-Belsen, she turned to volunteering and education after coming to the United States. For over fifty years, she dedicated herself to the Jewish communities of Tennessee and Holocaust education efforts around the state. A twice-published author, she raised her voice in the hope that continuing education and remembrance of this atrocity would ensure that no one should suffer such atrocities ever again.
Mira Kimmelman challenged students to reflect upon the history of the Holocaust and contemporary examples of injustice for over fifty years. The contest continues her work and legacy, asking Tennessee students to create projects that reflect how the lessons of the Holocaust are relevant to current events and their own lives. The contest has both middle school and high school entry options, all of which prompt students to reflect on the lessons learned through the study of Holocaust history"
