A group of eighth-graders at Dorseyville Middle School are volunteering their time to take others back in time to the 1940s.

The school’s new LIGHT Center is hosting its first exhibit, a World War II display featuring a collection of artifacts on loan from faculty members.

“The students were trained as museum docents, taking their peers in grades six to eight on tours of the exhibit throughout the school day,” said eighth-grade reading and language arts teacher and LIGHT coordinator Scott Vensel, who supervised the project.

The center is a shared space functioning as a hub of advocacy, remembrance and action.

“The LIGHT Education Initiative is a program of the Holocaust Center of Pittsburgh that seeks to inspire, prepare and empower the next generation of humanitarians,” he said. “This is a new space in the building where we can tell human stories.”

Joyce Hanz | Tribune-Review Dorseyville Middle School eighth-grade literacy teacher and LIGHT coordinator Scott Vensel holds a vintage LIFE magazine on Nov. 21 inside the new WWII exhibit in the school’s new LIGHT Center. The exhibit is in collaboration with the Holocaust Museum of Houston. The LIGHT Education Initiative is a program of the Holocaust Center of Pittsburgh.  

Vensel was visiting his hometown of Bedford in Bedford County when he saw WWII artifacts from some of his relatives and was inspired to ask his colleagues if they, too, had artifacts from relatives who had served in WWII.

“These veterans, they won’t be around to tell their stories for much longer, so it’s our responsibility to learn about them,” Vensel said.

Students and staff viewing the exhibit can hear veteran’s stories. QR codes at the ready offer facts about the almost 200 items on display through Dec. 23.

Joyce Hanz | Tribune-Review Dorseyville Middle School teacher Scott Vensel and docent LIGHT ambassador students. From left to right, back row: Victoria Macklin, Norah Kovach, Madison Cook. Front row from left to right: Mark Ong, Maris Silva and Eli Ramirez. Not pictured; Nathan Chu, Ella Golomb, Gabriel Yassin, Aislynn Senn and Ella Ettinger.  

Student Ella Golomb said it was interesting to learn more about teachers’ relatives.

“From this project I learned not only how to make and present a successful experience, but also learned about meaningful stories that relate back to teachers I see in the hall every day,” Golomb said.

For student Aislynn Senn, learning about World War II was just a small part of the project.

“I learned not only a lot about the war itself, but about the impact it had on those who fought in it. Looking at the artifacts up close, you get a sense of what it was like in the time period, and in a way, it changes your perspective,” Senn said.

Joyce Hanz | Tribune-Review One of about 100 artifacts on loan from teachers at Dorseyville Middle School for the LIGHT Center’s World War II exhibit on campus through Dec. 23.  

Some artifacts on loan include an American flag with 48 stars — Alaska and Hawaii were not states during the war; Purple Hearts and various war-time medals; a silk avation map; newspapers from the 1940s; a bomber hat and microphone; veteran’s uniforms from the Navy, the Army Air Force and Army and hand-written letters.

The students collaborated with the Holocaust Center of Pittsburgh, the Holocaust Museum of Houston and Dorseyville Middle School teachers to plan and create the exhibit and select items for display.

School staff members who loaned items to the exhibit include Scott Vensel; Matt LaPatka; Meredith Santoro; Mike Quinn, retired; Dave Snyder; Jeff Bryer; Elizabeth Feldman and Jessica Shannon.

Student Norah Kovach said the project made her realize how regular people acted and the “crazy sacrifices” they made for future generations.

“It makes me want to share these stories with others and continue to learn about them. Additionally, it put in perspective how recent and traumatic this event was,” Kovanch said.

By the end of the exhibit’s run, more than 1,000 students and staff will have viewed the artifacts.

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