Photo Provided by Mrs. D’Alba

Rosary is participating in Chapman’s 26th annual Holocaust Writing and Art Contest.

This year, every religion class at Rosary Academy will participate in the 26th annual Sala and Aron Samueli Holocaust Art & Writing Contest, a contest held by Chapman to commemorate Holocaust survivors. Moreover, speaking to all those families who were given only a few, sparse moments to pack up their most precious belongings into a single suitcase, this year’s prompt calls us to reflect on what we would bring when we do not know where we are going.

When I asked Religion IV teacher, Mrs. D’Alba, if she had any advice for students who might be struggling to interpret this year’s somewhat ambiguous prompt, she stated, “While on the surface, the prompt appears obscure, I encourage you to read the inspiration story on page 3 of the pamphlet. Ask yourself, if today you had to leave your home and all you could bring was what you could carry; what is most precious for you?”

For the contest, students must watch a full-length survivor testimony and submit an entry relating the testimony to the prompt as mentioned earlier. Made up of four categories: art, film, poetry, and prose, and it is up to the applicant to choose one out of the four. Moreover, according to Chapman’s website, each participating school may only submit a total of three entries. Each category has 1st and 2nd place monetary awards ($400 and $200, respectively), and first-place winners living in the U.S. will be invited to participate in an all-expense-paid trip to visit the Museum of Tolerance in Los Angeles and meet with members of The 1939 Society, a community of Holocaust survivors and descendants.

On her experience participating in and winning the Sala and Aron Samueli Holocaust Art and Writing Contest in middle school, Michaela Watson ‘26 shared, “I took a risk with my submission and did a creative makeup application on myself as my Art project. I used black and white face paint to represent the story of Zelda Gordan. It was amazing that my school recognized my imaginative take on the contest. I was able to share my project with the rest of my school and show others took think outside the box for the contest.”

Thus, much more than a means to win a prize or reward, students can learn a great deal about themselves and others by participating in this contest. Elaborating on this, Ms. D’Alba added, “By participating, students contribute to preserving history, building a culture of tolerance, and using their voices and talents to make a difference.”

Finally, for more information and links to a wide range of recorded testimonies, please refer to Chapman’s website. Godspeed to all of you in your creative pursuits, and thank you for reading!