 |
| Film maker Claire Lewis and students |
by Kelsee M.
September 2010
Service Learning Academy students sponsored the United Nations International Day of Peace at TCHS on September 21, 2010. Academy students devoted the month of September to the issue of peace and conflict resolution. Activities included making bulletin boards and public service announcements to educate the student body on the issue of peace.
Over 150 students made peace themed t-shirts for the Peace Day t-shirt contest. Global Peace Film Festival executive director, Nina Streich and film maker Claire Lewis were among the judges.
Groups of service learning students led team building activities and games in the courtyard for the student body.
Peace Through Film
Also, on the International Day of Peace, the Timber Creek High School Service Learning Council sponsored a film was called The End of the Line: a film based on the Charles Clover book of the same name. It is about how over-fishing could potentially kill of a large supply of our food as well as ruin the ecosystem. Claire Lewis presented her film, The End of the Line to over 800 students and teachers. Students were given the opportunity to ask her questions after the film.
Claire Lewis is a renowned British producer. Many of her shows can be seen on BBC and other channels in Britain. Over her career, she has won six Royal Television Society Awards as well as having two BAFTA nominations. The End of the Line won the Environment Award at the 2010 One World Media Awards.
The film had a great impact on the audience. Many students did not know that we may soon be living in a world without fish. The film was startling and eye-opening. It was an honor to have Ms. Lewis come to speak to our school. Our partner, the Global Peace Film Festival arranged for the screening, and also arranged for our field trips to the Enzain Theater where students and teachers saw films from the GPFF.
Enzian Theater Films
One short film, Hiding in the Spotlight deeply moved the audience. The powerful film was created by an Orlando filmmaker, Candy Dawson, who is the wife of Orlando Sentinel columnist Greg Dawson. It tells the remarkable story of a young Jewish girl, Zhanna who escaped death during the Holocaust. It is based on the book written by her son, Greg Dawson.
Zhanna and her family were taken from their home and sent on one of the death marches. Zhanna’s father bribed one of the Nazi soldier’s to look away and he did. Zhanna escaped through the woods and went to a locate village she knew. A few days later, she had found her sister (and to this day no one, but Frina, knows how she escaped). The girls had changed their names and lived in an orphanage.
They were piano and musical prodigies and performed in the town where their orphanage was located. Later their talent was discovered and they were taken to Germany to be performers for the Nazi soldiers. They told no one know that they were Jewish. So for years they were hiding from the Nazis right in front of them.
Students interacted with a panel that included Greg Dawson, Candy Dawson and a filmmaker who is working on a full-length documentary film about Zhanna that will be released next year. To learn more about this amazing story see Mr. Dawson's website, Hiding in the Spotlight.
Some photos from Peace Month activities:
 |
| Team building games |
 |
| Team building games |
