Profiles

Over the years, we have worked with amazing people. Whether they are educators, students or survivors, their actions have had a significant impact throughout the world.


	The Way We See It: L.A. Teens on Immigration Facing History students' classroom project results in a photography exhibition on view at the Skirball Cultural Center in Los Angeles In the fall of 2008, 73 Los Angeles area high school students participated in a Facing History leadership program designed to develop the students' civic leadership through an exploration of contemporary issues.
	Facing History with Edward Zwick: on the Making of Defiance The film Defiance, directed and produced by Edward Zwick, is based on the extraordinary true story of three Jewish brothers living in Nazi occupied Eastern Europe during World War II. In 1941, the Bielski brothers, played by Daniel Craig, Liev Schreiber and Joshua Bell, flee to the surrounding woods to escape the ensuing massacre.
	Embracing Diversity Using The Children of Willesden Lane Robyn Gordon teaches 6th grade reading at Antonio Maceo Walker School in Memphis, Tennessee. She attended her first Facing History Institute in the summer of 2004. Here she shares her experience using Facing History strategies to teach The Children of Willesden Lane: "Since I am a reading teacher, I utilize the novels Facing History and Ourselves provides.
	Learning from "Witnesses to History" In schools where in-depth Facing History courses exist, and teachers "go long and go deep" on issues such as Holocaust and Human Behavior, Race and Membership in American History, Transitional Justice, and other topics, Facing History is often able to bring in a speaker as a culminating aspect of a unit of study.
	Choosing to Participate Exhibit Touches Many in the Immigrant Community "As an ESOL [English for Speakers of Other Languages] teacher, it is not always easy to find cultural or educational venues that are both easily understandable and intellectually challenging," says Anne Erde.
	Facing History Alumnus David Burstein Executive Director and co-founder of "18 in 08," David Burstein exemplifies what he tells the thousands of young people he meets in his travels across the country.
	A Teacher Asks: What Would You Be Willing To Stand Up For? A language arts teacher at Westlake High School in Ohio, Laura Miller created Stand Up, a video (that she uploaded permanently on the popular video hosting site YouTube) featuring participants at the Facing History seminar "Holocaust and Human Behavior," Facing History staff, and students at John Carroll University who answer the question, "What would you stand up for?" People responded passionately about human rights, genocide, faith, and their students.
	Character Education in Harrisburg School District: A Partnership with Facing History and Ourselves What happened to the nine African American students who integrated a high school in 1957 in Little Rock, Arkansas, and how the community reacted, has made a profound impact district-wide in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania.
	Iris Bradfield, Head of History, Friends School Lisburn, Northern Ireland Facing History at Friends School Lisburn (FSL) Iris Bradfield, Head of History, Friends School Lisburn Facing History and Ourselves Board Trip, Belfast, May 2008 My first involvement with the Facing History and Ourselves Programme was back in June 2006 when I was invited to attend a 3-day Holocaust and Human Behavior seminar in Belfast.
	Dr. Terrence Roberts of the Little Rock Nine In 1957, Terrence Roberts was 15 years old when he joined eight other students to integrate Central High School in Little Rock, Arkansas. What followed, for him and the other members of the "Little Rock Nine", were days of fear, courage and uncertainty.
	A Democracy Classroom By Jocelyn Stanton Jocelyn Stanton teaches Humanities at Boston International High School in Jamaica Plain, Massachusetts. Here she reflects about a transformative moment with one of the students in her Humanities 4 class of juniors and seniors.
	Gillian Smith, Facing History School Principal Gillian Smith is one of those educators whose enthusiasm is contagious and whose energy seems boundless. Good thing, because as the headmaster of the Facing History School, Smith is at the helm of an exciting andchallenging endeavor-providing an in-depth Facing History experience over four years to every student.
	Ruth Dike: Memphis Student Leadership Group When Ruth Dike signed up for the Memphis Facing History Student Leadership Group as a freshman four years ago, she wasn't sure what to expect. Now a senior at White Station High School Ruth says the impact of Facing History on her way of looking at the world was much more than she could have ever expected.
	Fernando Reimers: Harvard Professor and Director of the Intenational Education Policy Program Understanding how teachers and schools can best prepare students for democratic citizenship is one of Ford Foundation Professor Fernando Reimers' main research goals. Impressed by Facing History's success in developing tolerance, he has helped Facing History scale up its global programs and to become more prominent among leaders of education policy and practice in Latin America.
	Anne Sheldon Anne Sheldon first studied Facing History in an eighth grade Holocaust unit and became more involved by participating in the New England region's Student Symposium this past year, where students from Boston area high schools gathered to discuss responsibilities of citizenship in the 21st century.
	John Rutayisire and Innocent Mugisha: Bringing Facing History to Rwanda Rwanda, a country tarnished by the 1994 genocide, placed a moratorium on the teaching of history since 1994 and has grappled with how to face the past to educate the future. John Rutayisire, Director of the National Curriculum Development Centre at the Ministry of Education and Innocent Mugisha, a teacher trainer at the National University of Rwanda, are two educators dedicated to this challenging task.
	Nick Maraventano Since attending a Holocaust and Human Behavior Institute in 1998, Nick Maraventano, a social studies and history teacher at a suburban public high school on Long Island, New York, has deeply infused Facing History into his classroom.
	Zezette Larsen Listening to the testimonials of Holocaust survivors or other eyewitnesses to history is an unforgettable part of the Facing History journey. Zezette Larsen, a member of the Board of Directors since it was established and a life-long friend to Facing History, is also one of many resource speakers who transform students and teachers through her story.
	Online support brings Facing History to Jakarta International School "Facing History makes students ask themselves hard questions so that when faced with ethical and moral situations they will have the tools to make the right decision over that which could cause pain or harm to their fellow human being.
	How a Facing History Class Influenced a Career Choice Can one class in high school influence someone's career path? In Jemma McPherson's life, this seems to be the case. She was profoundly influenced by a theology class she took her junior year at Convent of the Sacred Heart in San Francisco.