Over the final eight weeks of the English Preparatory curriculum, the students learned about the events surrounding the Holocaust while reading the moving novel, The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas, written by John Boyne.
The story focuses on the life of a young German boy who is forced to move to the Auschwitz concentration camp because hIs father has become a high-ranking commander in the Nazi party. While there the boy befriends a young Jewish prisoner, and he begins to question the situation.
After completing the unit, the group was fortunate enough to travel to the Auschwitz concentration camp near Krakow, Poland. With the help of a knowledgable tour guide, the students got to see and further learn about the history and horrors of the Holocaust firsthand, and it was an emotional experience that they will never forget.