Watkins Mill High School’s class of 2025 sophomores took a field trip to the Holocaust Museum in Washington, D.C. on Thursday, February 23, 2023.

Organized by English teacher Sonya Shpilyuk, over 200 students were able to tour the museum and learn about the atrocities committed during World War II and the Holocaust through authentic objects, personal stories, and models depicting everything from the typical Nazi uniform to the shoes prisoners had to take off before being killed.

In order to participate in the field trip, students had to read a memoir called Night, written by Holocaust survivor Elie Wiesel, which depicted his experiences at Auschwitz and Buchenwald, two Nazi concentration camps, during the Holocaust.

“The point of the trip was to give [the sophomores] a broader understanding [of the Holocaust],” Shpilyuk said. “[The sophomores were] looking at different kinds of texts…and how they create understanding in us and how they affect us.”

“[From] some conversations we had, students were very emotionally impacted,” Shpilyuk added.

“I thought the field trip was… a great experience overall. It was very moving,” sophomore Nimaya Fernando said. “Night allowed me to get a good overview [of the Holocaust].”

For students thinking of visiting the museum, “be mindful because it’s a very touchy subject… that affected so many Jews… do some research [to] get a good idea and be prepared when going to the museum,” Fernando added.

Gallery • 17 Photos

Sanjay Fernando

Fragments of a Torah damaged in Marburg and Vienna synagogues during the "Night of Broken Glass."