NW Missouri Times

Brianne McDermott, a 2022 graduate of Northwest Missouri State University, recently participated in the Auschwitz Legacy Fellowship, an educational program aimed at enhancing Holocaust education among American teachers. Now teaching social studies at Maryville High School, McDermott credits her interest in Holocaust history to a research seminar led by Dr. Devlin Scofield at Northwest.

“Up until that point, I was unaware of how many intentional steps were taken in order for the Holocaust to happen,” McDermott said. “I’m particularly interested in learning about and teaching the steps the Nazis took to dehumanize and alienate Jewish members of European society for eight years leading up to the ‘Final Solution,’ which began in 1941.”

McDermott was selected by the Midwest Center for Holocaust Education after an application process. She joined 44 other teachers from across the United States as part of a partnership with the Auschwitz-Birkenau Memorial Foundation.

The year-long fellowship included six months of online training with monthly meetings focused on World War II history, guest lectures, and testimony from Holocaust survivor Eugene Ginter. In July, participants traveled to Poland where they visited historical sites including Warsaw, Krakow, and spent a day touring Auschwitz-Birkenau.

“Poland is 5,000 miles away from here, so it puts you into the context of, ‘I am here. This place does exist,’” McDermott said. “We tend to think that Poland is in a different world. But walking through the grounds, I never doubted that anything didn’t ever happen. It makes it really real for you, and just feeling the energy within the place and getting to hear from the tour guides who are deep, deep experts in that field, that was a really memorable experience.”

Reflecting on her visit to Auschwitz-Birkenau, she added: “I don’t think I’ll ever forget the emotions and feelings going through different parts of the camp. That’s something I’ll never forget, is walking that path and just listening to people’s footsteps and just the dead quiet of nobody talking; everyone’s kind of just taking it in.”

Dr. Devlin Scofield noted McDermott’s preparation as an educator: “Brianne already had the knowledge to teach about the Holocaust, but from my own experience, I know that nothing is as powerful or moving as visiting the actual concentration and killing camp sites – along with the affiliated museums and monuments – to fully convey the extent of the murderous apparatus and the human tragedy of the Nazi-led effort to exterminate the Jews of Europe,” he said. “I believed she was uniquely positioned to ensure that her students at Maryville High School would benefit from the deeper understanding and perspective the Fellowship provides.”

Scofield also highlighted how such awards provide public recognition beyond grades: “The award itself is a fantastic opportunity for Northwest students across disciplines to showcase a wide range of outstanding scholarship taking place on campus,” he said. “It also provides important recognition of student achievement beyond the traditional ‘A’ on an assignment, offering a public acknowledgement of dedication and creativity our students bring to their work.”

McDermott believes discussing difficult topics like genocide helps students understand their responsibilities as citizens: “If students can recognize that, and recognize history and draw connections to things that might be happening today or might not be happening today, it empowers them to be active citizens and ensure something like it just does not happen again,” she said.

She also hopes her teaching will help students realize their impact: “I’m hoping they walk away with knowledge they have power as human beings to hold themselves and each other accountable with how we treat human beings,” she said. “I think it’s important for students to know that they have power in ensuring that human beings are treated accordingly…we can’t just treat them like parasites and vermin like Nazis treated Jewish population.”