10-28-2023 12:50am

Global Tour of the Anne Frank Traveling Exhibit Stops at Westwood High School

Darlene Cancell Editor

Photo courtesy of Westwood Public Schools. The traveling exhibit, “Anne Frank: A History for Today," is available for a day of public viewing on Monday, October 30th at Westwood High School.

By Darcie Fisher for Westwood Public Schools

For decades, The Diary of Anne Frank has been required reading for students across the country. Frank’s detailed account of what she endured during the Holocaust has left a lasting and haunting impression on countless people. Now, students at Westwood High School are experiencing her legacy through a traveling exhibit called “Anne Frank: A History for Today.”

The exhibit opened on October 18th and runs through November 2nd and includes photographs, artifacts, and samples of writing Frank produced while she and her family hid in a small apartment in Amsterdam during World War II. Visitors to the exhibit will be guided by high school students.

“We have 19 students acting as docents,” said Lateefah Franck, Westwood Public Schools’s Director of Equity, Integration, and Community Partnerships. “These students volunteered and are each responsible for giving tours during their free blocks.”

The docents are in 10th, 11th and 12th grade and underwent two full days of training to prepare to give tours. Senior Jack Dullea volunteered to serve as a docent.

“I’ve always been really interested in history and that’s why I’m thinking about majoring in history in college,” said Dullea. “I couldn’t pass up the opportunity.”

“The docents are incredible,” said Westwood High School principal Amy Davenport. “It’s not just the fact that they put in two full days of training, and that they are dedicating their free blocks to teach students and facilitate discussions. It’s amazing to see their communication skills and how much content they were able to digest and then be able to express in such a short amount of time. Their commitment to helping their peers think critically about history and what it means to be human is inspiring.”

Senior Hanya Yang also volunteered to lead tours as a docent and says she has been impressed with how focused students are during the presentations.

“I was surprised that people are really paying attention and asking questions,” said Yang. “For instance, someone asked me how Germany viewed race. To see them figure out the missing pieces is great.”

“Something that surprised me is how willing students are to participate and share things they already know,” said Dullea. “Before we explain what’s going on in the pictures, we ask students what they think is happening. I was excited to see so many students willing to participate.”

The project has been in the works since early September, and while the exhibit is not in response to the recent acts of terror in Israel, Davenport says that, “this context adds a new dimension to the seriousness of these topics.”

The exhibit has been shown across the globe in places like Tokyo, Serbia, China and France. It is now set up in the school library where students come to see it during their English class. The exhibit will be open to members of the public on October 30th from 5:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m.

“Anne Frank wanted to be a writer,” said Davenport. “She couldn’t have dreamt of the magnitude of her legacy, or that in the year 2023, students in Westwood, Massachusetts, would be experiencing something so important and beautiful because of her.”

Thanks to Darcie Fisher and Westwood Public Schools for contributing this article to Westwood Minute.