After a long day of school, students often spend Wildcat Period scrolling on their phones, talking to friends or even taking naps.
“I think that most students see Wildcat Period as “downtime” where not much is happening…it’s like the waiting room for the end of the day dismissal,” Dallastown social studies teacher Molly Dallmeyer said.
That’s why Dallmeyer decided to give DHS students the opportunity to expand their learning and take advantage of their free education through Wildcat Seminars.
What is a Wildcat Seminar?
These seminars consist of Dallmeyer teaming up with other DHS teachers or members of the community to provide extra information and knowledge about the aspects of the Holocaust. These collaborations happen Wednesdays during Wildcat Period in the Theater Room.
The purpose of these seminars is simply to learn more, and Dallmeyer encourages students to bring friends.
“It’s FREE! There is no homework, Google Classroom assignments or tests. It’s just learning for the sake of learning,” Dallmeyer said.
The very first seminar was held on Wednesday, March 19. Dallastown philosophy teacher Mr. Rojahn, was welcomed to the stage to discuss more about the philosophical connection to the Holocaust.
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The second seminar was held on March 26, where students and Dallmeyer welcomed Mr. Ray Rosen, child of Holocaust survivor parents. Rosen shared his story of his parents and how it had an impact on his own life.
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The third seminar was attended on April 9 where health teacher Mr. Tad Gould went into depth about the role and impact of medicine on the Holocaust. Gould had also explained medical experiments and how medicine was used against the prisoners of concentration camps.
“Interestingly, Dallmeyer, Rojahn, Ortman, Gould and Ms. Gable are all Dallastown graduates. I truly think this makes us (teachers) look at the importance of students’ time here at Dallastown differently,” Gould said.
The most recent seminar on April 16 brought science teacher Ms. Whitney Ortman to discuss the impact of science during the Holocaust and World War II.
“Despite being different subjects, history and science go hand in hand, and both affect the other one” Ortman says.
Ortman also said, “It’s good to learn just for learning’s sake – not for a test or a class, but just to learn something “outside” of the curriculum.”
Looking ahead there will be more opportunities for students to attend a seminars and enhance their knowledge. Upcoming seminar events are add the upcoming seminar events…
