Fiona Bock of Glover Community School named winner of statewide Holocaust Education Competition

NEWPORT — The Vermont Holocaust Memorial (VTHM) has recently concluded its third annual Student Holocaust Education Competition, in which Vermont students in three grade categories, from 7th through 12th, were asked to submit an essay, poem, or poster in response to “Why is it important for students to learn about the Holocaust?”

Fiona Bock, of Glover Community School, was the first place winner in the 7-8th grade category.

The entries were reviewed by a group comprised of Vermont educators, writers, and children of Holocaust survivors, using a judging rubric designed specifically for the contest.

“The enthusiasm and level of these contest entries was quite gratifying, as it has been in past years,” said Debora Steinerman, President and Cofounder of VTHM. “The leadership and support of many dedicated Vermont teachers clearly showed through, and I think it’s clear schools and communities benefited from the students’ insights into what it means to be tolerant, accepting of ‘the other,’ and the importance of educating about the Holocaust for us all.”

Numerous meaningful entries were received, with winners announced and displayed in the Vermont Statehouse in Montpelier on April 18, Holocaust Remembrance Day.

Through its student competitions, speaker’s bureau, mobile exhibits, Leaf Project, and educator workshops, VTHM is committed to imparting the lessons of the Holocaust by honoring lives lost and sharing stories of survival.

The organization encourages standing up to intolerance wherever it appears and hopes that the Vermont legislature will pass the “Vermont Holocaust Studies Act” (S.87 and H.294) in the upcoming session to ensure these timely lessons will be taught in Vermont schools to safeguard our students’ futures.

Winners by grade and subject category:

7-8th grade:

1st place: Fiona Bock – Glover Community School

2nd place: Name withheld by request – Home-school

3rd place: Hailey Hem – Williston Central School

1st place poster: Hailey Bristol – Brattleboro Area Middle School

9-10th grade:

1st place: Isibeal Bohan – Oxbow High School

2nd place: Liliana Dicks – Oxbow High School

3rd place: Liam Pear – Oxbow High School

1st place (tie) poem: Anastase Bourgeois – Oxbow High School

1st place (tie) poem: Maggi Ellsworth – Oxbow High School

2nd place (tie) poem: Ainsley Kendall – VTVLC/Home-school, South Ryegate, VT

2nd place (tie) poem: Rayanna Salomaa – Oxbow High School

3rd place poem: Cooper Brunet – Oxbow High School

11-12th grade:

1st place: Vera Windish – Woodstock Union High School

2nd place: Kevin Nguyen – BFA Fairfax High School

3rd place: Morgan Cutter – BFA Fairfax High School

1st place poster: Laura Ponoran – St. Johnsbury Academy