June 10, 2009 in City

Shooting weighs heavy for CV Holocaust teacher

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News of the shooting at the Holocaust museum in Washington, D.C., hit close to home for one Central Valley High School teacher.

Steve Bernard, who teaches classes on the Holocaust at CV, has spent time as a teaching fellow at the museum over several summers. He was awarded a fellowship at the national memorial in 2005.

“I wanted to e-mail my supervisor back there as soon as I heard, but he’s probably got his hands full,” Bernard said.

CV is one of a few high schools in Spokane to offer the Holocaust as a stand-alone course. The history classes are so popular, Bernard said there is typically a waiting list of students each year. After a trip to Auschwitz with students in the 1980s, Bernard began teaching students about Nazi history and the Holocaust.

He said the news will almost certainly be the topic of his lessons tomorrow.

“I can almost going guarantee the kids are going to be shocked,” Bernard said. “We talk so much about tolerance of others, and diversity. To see this happen; they just don’t ever think in that direction.”

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