Holocaust Memorial Day: Hartlepool remembers the horrors

St Hild’s Church of England School organised the programme to coincide with Holocaust Memorial Day, which fell yesterday.

The school, in King Oswy Drive, staged an exhibition of art work by Year 8 students reflecting their knowledge and understanding of the Holocaust.

Collective worship sessions were also held and the history department produced a reflective piece of work for use by students during tutor time.

Year 9 pupils also watched a live webcast featuring the first-hand testimony of Holocaust survivor Rudi Oppenheimer.

Holocaust Memorial Day takes place on January 27 each year – the date on which Auschwitz-Birkenau, the largest Nazi death camp, was liberated in 1945.

It is an international event and a time for everyone to pause and remember the millions murdered by the Nazis and in subsequent genocides.

Maria Murray, subject leader for RE at St Hild’s, said: “The Holocaust is an incredibly important historical event and it is something that the school is committed to commemorating every year.

“We encourage our pupils to pay respect to the victims, reflect on how such a situation was allowed to come about and to consider how lessons learned from past events can be applied to the world they are growing up in today.”

The art exhibition, the third to be held by the school, was open to all and personal invites were sent out to parents of all Year 8 exhibitors.

Miss Murray said: “The students have been learning about the significance of the Holocaust and reflecting on the importance of remembering it, and the exhibition was a chance for them to bring their thoughts to life through art.

“The quality of their work was excellent and the exhibition was well received by all who visited it.”

The school has previously organised trips to Auschwitz-Birkenau and a Year 10 group of students will be the latest to make the emotional visit when they travel there during the summer term.