Tri-Valley Hosts the Anne Frank Exhibit

DRESDEN, Ohio – Tri-Valley High School hosted a nationally touring, Anne Frank exhibit that details the horrors of genocide from a child’s point of view.  

Two Tri-Valley High School Sophomore Alaina Roberts and Junior Anna Derwacter, who were selected as tour guides for the display; shared their experiences of the event that has been witnessed by more than 1,000 attendees.

“Anne Frank’s story is a great example of when we need to step in and help,” Derwacter said. “The Holocaust was able to go on because so many people were bystanders. So by learning about her story, we know what to look out for when things start to go south. I have definitely earned a much deeper appreciation for just what everyone had to go through during the Holocaust. Even the people who weren’t Jewish, there were still other groups who were persecuted. So learning about that makes me realize just how awful that period of time was.”

Anne Frank was a German born Jew who was forced to hide in the Netherlands in an attempt to evade Nazi capture during World War Two.

Frank journaled her personal experience, which was similar to many other accounts shared by people fleeing Nazi oppression.  

“Even today there is discrimination everywhere within different groups, different minorities and it’s really helpful to see Anne’s story. And history repeats itself if we don’t learn about it,” Roberts said.

The tour is a collaboration between The University of South Carolina and the Anne Frank House in the Netherlands. It has visited 23 states before its arrival here in Ohio and will return to Ohio next year when it will be hosted by Capital University.