Dr. David Pettigrew, a philosophy professor from Southern Connecticut State University, came to present to the entire 5th grade on March 31.
The fifth grade is studying the Holocaust, and Dr. Pettigrew gave a presentation about Varian Fry, who was a Holocaust hero.
All 5th grade students are doing research and writing essays on subjects related to the Holocaust.
Dr. Pettigrew’s presentation on Varian Fry told the story of how one man was able to save thousands of lives. Fry was an American journalist who wrote for the New York Times. He was in Germany when Hitler was coming to power. He witnessed the horrible treatment of the Jews and couldn’t just stand by.
He defied the US government and started to help people escape. Fry created false passports and shuttled the targets of the Nazis’ wrath through secret mountain passages, onto a boat set for the United States. He helped many household names, such as Marc Chagall, Heinrich Mann, Andre Masson, and Jacques Lipchitz.
Dr. Pettigrew gave a fascinating presentation showing photographs of real documents from the Holocaust time period, including the Franco-German Armistice. The fifth graders were interested in Dr. Pettigrew's presentation and asked many questions.
Thank you to Dr. Pettigrew for coming to our school!