The "Six Million Paper Clips" project was a unique and powerful educational initiative that was launched in the early 2000s by the students and faculty of the Whitwell Middle School in Whitwell, Tennessee. The project was inspired by the Holocaust, and it sought to honor the victims of the Holocaust by collecting six million paper clips, symbolizing the six million Jews who were killed during this tragic period in history.
The idea for the project began in 1998 when the principal of Whitwell Middle School, Linda Hooper, asked teacher David Smith to come up with a way to teach her students about diversity and tolerance. Smith and his students decided to focus on the Holocaust, and they began studying the events of the Holocaust in depth. As they learned more about the devastating impact of the Holocaust, they were inspired to take action and do something to honor the victims.
The students and faculty of Whitwell Middle School began collecting paper clips as a way to symbolize the victims of the Holocaust. They believed that each paper clip represented a person, and they were determined to collect six million paper clips to honor the six million Jews who were killed during the Holocaust. The project quickly gained national attention, and people from all over the world began sending paper clips to Whitwell Middle School to contribute to the project.
Over the course of several years, the students and faculty of Whitwell Middle School were able to collect more than six million paper clips. The project became a powerful educational tool, helping students to understand the importance of diversity and tolerance, and the devastating impact of hate and intolerance.
In addition to collecting paper clips, the students and faculty of Whitwell Middle School also worked to raise awareness about the Holocaust and the importance of remembering its victims. They created a Holocaust museum at the school, and invited Holocaust survivors to speak to their students about their experiences. The project also inspired a documentary film, "Paper Clips," which told the story of the project and its impact on the students and faculty of Whitwell Middle School.
The "Six Million Paper Clips" project was a truly inspiring and transformative educational initiative. It not only helped students to learn about the Holocaust and the importance of diversity and tolerance, but it also inspired people all over the world to take action and make a difference. It is a testament to the power of education to inspire and change lives, and it will be remembered for generations to come as an example of the positive impact that education can have on the world.
What does six million look like?
What followed was a community-wide effort in this small town of 1,600 people living across the mountains from Chattanooga. Retrieved 17 Jul 2013. In 2006, researching for my last literature paper at Oxford, I stumbled onto the late 17th-century court of Queen Mary of Modena, consort to James II. So parents came to school and counted. It was this simple idea that eventually, and quite unintentionally, turned into a worldwide phenomenon, drawing international media attention and letters of support from literally every continent.
Children’s Holocaust Memorial: Six Million Paper Clips
Excerpted by permission of Kar-Ben Publishing. They chose the clips because some Norwegians wore them as a silent protest against Nazi occupation during World War II. The nearly impossible search for such a vintage car in Europe, and how it was shipped to Whitwell, is an interesting story in the book, as well as how the town united to construct a fitting memorial in front of the school. Schroeder and Dagmar Schroeder-Hildebrand All rights reserved. The project began to snowball after it received attention from Peter and Dagmar Schroeder, journalists who were born in Germany during World War II and who covered the Das BĂĽroklammer-Projekt The Paper Clip Project published in September 2000, that promoted the project in Germany. Hooper," he asked his boss, "what do you know about the Holocaust? The star of the TV series Happy Days told the students that when his father fled the Nazis and immigrated to the United States, he had to leave everything behind. Hooper knows that growing up in a small community where everyone is alike can be a drawback.
Six Million Paperclips
The students looked at their teacher without any emotion. There were many tears and much hugging from children, families, school staff and the survivors themselves. In November the students began filling the memorial, one wheelbarrow-full at a time. The students had a hard time imagining what six million was the number of Jews the Nazis killed , so they decided to collect six million paperclips, a symbol used by the Norwegians to show solidarity with their Jewish neighbors during World War II. In the fall, she summoned the parents of all eighth graders. The work of an artist by an artist.
One Clip at a Time
The community response was overwhelmingly positive. I was able to connect with the kids in Whitwell. Within three weeks the Whitwell students has received 2,000 letters and 46,000 paper clips. Retrieved March 6, 2019. In 1999 the Whitwell Vice Principal, David Smith attended a teaching conference and returned, both disturbed and excited, about teaching the Holocaust.
