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On Friday, one recalled climbing under desks in 1950s and '60s during nuclear attack drills. German native and teacher Peter Fleischmann told what it felt like to live in West Berlin during the early 1980s, staring at a wall which symbolized the Iron Curtain between Western Europe and the Soviet Union.
"I stood next to it and cried," said Fleischmann, sporting the peace sign on his T-shirt and speaking into a microphone Friday as faculty and students gathered nearby.
But more important than the barrier itself was the change after the Berlin Wall was torn down in 1989, he said.
"That was always very strong in our mind, the reality of being there and being so convinced that this would never change," Fleischmann said. "The whole fact that this did change was nothing short of a miracle."
As world leaders gather in Berlin to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the wall's collapse, Fleischmann felt it would be the perfect time to teach students about the event.
On Thursday a student-made wall, 20 feet long and 12 feet high, was exhibited in the middle of an indoor courtyard. It featured a chronology, images and facts about the Berlin Wall and those who died while attempting to cross. On Friday shortly after school let out, faculty and students assembled for a "freedom fest" or symbolic event to commemorate the end of the Cold War and the peaceful changes afterwards.
The school superintendent and principal stood by and cheered as students yelled, pushed, kicked, stomped and destroyed the exhibit.
One of the best things about the event was its ability to incorporate several disciplines and expose students to something they did not live through, Principal Rosemary Duthie said.
Students like Shalimar Gravener contributed in art classes by creating graffiti art for the wall, mimicking real graffiti by renowned artist Keith Haring which lined its west side. The English department shared with a reading of Robert Frosts' poem, "The Mending Wall," and history teachers provided a brief explanation of the event. Technology also chipped in, showing historical video footage.
"This was great because it brought teachers together to work on one project," said Karen Ciosek, a 12-year health teacher at the school, who once studied German. She credited Fleischmann with growing the school's German classes.
Fleischmann's hope was to relive some of the incredible joy felt by Berliners when the wall was torn down.
"It became almost like a prison wall that was impenetrable," he said. "It's important not just as a German event because Germany was divided, but the whole world on some level was divided."
Sophomore Emily Nevin was one of two students who were blindfolded and allowed to charge at the exhibit made of cardboard paper boxes. She knocked it all down in one swat and then joined a crowd that continued to destroy the creation.
"I think it's a great thing that they're doing here," she said.
shernandez@record-journal.com
(203) 317-2266
