At Sanford High School, with the help of our Athletic Director Gordie Salls and our Civil Rights team, our students had the opportunity to listen to the Honorable John Jenkins present his "Words Matter" presentation. John states, "Words are emotional bridges built from intentions. They are links that become pathways to places of wisdom, welcome, warning, or wickedness. Reflection is encouraged before traversing this connection or inviting others to do the same."
Additionally, in October, Charles Rotmil spoke to our students. Charles is a Holocaust Survivor and his presentation to the students was moving. The following is a little background about him. Charles Rotmil was born in Alsace Lorraine in 1932. In 1938, Charles moved with his family to Vienna. Two years later, they escaped to Belgium and then to France, in their attempts to flee the war against the Jews. By 1943, his mother and sister had died in a train crash and his father had been gassed in Auschwitz. Father Bruno Reynders, a Benedictine monk, took Charles and his brother under his wing, along with 400 other children. They lived in hiding, under false names, until the liberation in 1945. In 1946, he arrived in the United States. He spent many years as a schoolteacher and now is a filmmaker living in Maine.
These along with the Day of Welcome sponsored by the Civil Rights Team helps show are community that our school welcomes EVERYONE! What great opportunities for our students.
