In order to expand students’ history knowledge, the junior class took a trip to the Dallas Holocaust and Human Rights Museum Jan. 16.
“It was a good experience for the students to see the history of the Holocaust and artifacts first hand,” history teacher Mallory Mooney said.
Junior Leiah Graham, who is in Mooney’s history class, said the museum was very educational and interactive.
“The museum took place of our in-class lesson and really helped with our history course,” Graham said. “I liked that we went on Martin Luther King Jr. Day because there were also exhibits about the civil rights movement.”
Mooney said she took the entire junior class, and not just her history students, because it would benefit them.
“The dual credit students are still taking U.S. history, so this information is still important to them even if they aren’t covering it at the same time,” Mooney said. “This also helps prepare them for portions of the STAAR test.”

Junior Jesse Berend said he hadn’t really learned about the Holocaust before visiting the museum.
“I really liked the museum,” Berend said. “I learned a lot about how bad the Jewish people were treated.”
Mooney said she has always wanted to visit this museum.
“Personally I was excited for the trip,” she said. “I was glad that most of the students were really into it. They enjoyed reading the exhibits and listening to the speakers.”
This is the first time the junior class has taken this trip.
“I think that this trip should be taken annually for junior U.S. history students, though some parts of the museum had graphic content,” Graham said.
Graham said she already knew a lot about the Holocaust through her own research, but still really enjoyed the museum.
“Seeing the information and images in person was so much easier to learn about than online,” she said. “The most insightful exhibits were the audio or videos of survivors’ testimonies.”
Berend said he now knows a lot about World War II.
“The videos and images taught me so much information,” he said. “I enjoyed listening to the interviews because I was able to learn something new with every one.”
Mooney said she is considering taking this trip again next school year.
“It’s a good experience for upcoming grades,” she said. “It’s a nice way to mix up the environment by being able to get out of the classroom while still learning.”