June 2, 2015- 8:30 am to 1:30 CONFERENCE

Utilizing Resources -the State wide Educators Conference was held  in the Mercer County Community College conference center from 8:30 am to 1:30 pm. Panelists presented information on how to design lesson plans for various grade levels. Professor Elizabeth DeGiorgio prepared

a presentation and materials for participants and also met with individual teachers to answer questions.

At The Conference,.Lynn Azarchi, executive director of the KIDSBRIDGE museum participated in the Educator’s workshop. Each year a Holocaust & Genocide Awareness award is given to a student that has demonstrated an altruistic act of generating awareness, empathy and action for Holocaust and/or Genocide education. Nominations are made by Mercer County Superintendents, 4th through 12th Grade School Principals, and 4th through 12th grade Teachers and Guidance Counselors in Mercer County. A team of independent judges from the community, and representatives from the Advisory Commission of the Mercer County Holocaust/Genocide Resource Center reviewed the nominations and selected the winners.

2015 KIDSBRIDGE Winner

Jared Miller is a 9^th grade student dedicated to generating genocide and anti-bullying awareness in the student population. Nominated by Robbinsville High School Social Studies Teacher Angel Dolina, Jared is the winner of the Fourth Annual Youth Holocaust and Genocide Competition (2015). Jared used the following quote, “Nobody is superior or inferior, everyone is equal whether a bully chooses to accept it or not” throughout his efforts to spread awareness in his high school. Troubled by those who unknowingly turned a blind eye to mass killings, Jared created presentations about the Armenian, Holocaust, Cambodian, and Rwandan genocides, which were displayed during lunch at his school. He found ways to link bullying prevention to the hatred generated from genocides, making his message clearer and easier to understand for his classmates.
Continuing his efforts, Jared solely organized an awareness day that impacted 900 high school students. He is in the process of inviting a Holocaust survivor who lived in a concentration camp, to make a presentation to help the student population gain a better understanding of the horror of genocide. In his first year of high school, Jared has made vast strides in increasing the knowledge of these topics in Robbinsville High School. There is no stronger compliment than one being such a positive role model and inspiration to other students at such a young age.

Saul Goldwasser Writing award

The Saul Goldwasser Writing Award and the 2014 Youth Holocaust and Genocide awareness award were presented at this conference. The 3^rd annual Saul Goldwasser Writing Award. The award was presented to Jennifer Vitella a MCCC Honor student. Jennifer read her winning piece to the audience.