5/6th Grade Student Leadership Day at the IHMEC

On April 21, six ACT members in sixth grade had the pleasure of attending Student Leadership Day at the Illinois Holocaust Museum and Education Center.  The day began with defining our own identity in six words.  Students, teachers, and parents then turned this into their "rap" or poem describing who we are.  The poems were amazing for only having about five minutes to complete the task!  After that, Dr. Bettina Love inspired the audience with her keynote speech about how storytelling is used to make a difference.  She used the history of hip hop to share how throughout history, the roots of hip hop have been used to change the world.  From slave songs to modern day rap, people have used this medium to spread awareness and make a change.  Dr. Love also shared other forms of art that can be used, such as spoken word and graffiti.  We all have a story to tell!

We also had the pleasure of hearing from Aaron Elster, a Holocaust survivor, who has an amazing story to tell.  Out of perseverance, hope and the kindness of strangers, he survived two years in an attic to tell his story.  His message is always the same, "Be kind to others."

Exelon also joined us for the day!  Some of the employees shared their stories of volunteering, while asking the students for their own stories.  During our question and answer session, two of the students, along with Mrs. Ciok and Mrs. Keipert, performed a small portion of "Shine A Light" to demonstrate how you can use your talents to make a difference!

The schools also had time to tour the museum and see the Harvey Miller Youth Exhibit.  They learned how different people have made a difference and what it takes to get something done.  Working together can make all the difference!

Finally, we ended the day by all 100 people sharing one word about the day.  Words like inspiring, social action, challenging, awesome, service, and volunteerism were used to describe this powerful day.  Thank you to the IHMEC for challenging students to think beyond themselves and make a difference in the world!