Through the first half of this school year, Poughkeepsie High School students in Ashalet Gooden’s Holocaust Literature course took a deep dive into one of history’s most horrific and impactful moments, through analysis of novels, short stories, poems and other accounts.
With the course now complete, the students this past Friday put an exclamation point on their experience with a trip to interact with history directly.
Fifty students, along with Gooden and other chaperones, took a day trip to the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington D.C. on Feb. 6.
“This trip was a powerful way to reinforce the learning that took place in class,” Gooden said. “Experiential learning of this kind supports diverse learning styles and promotes deeper comprehension beyond the classroom.”
Students participated in a guided tour of the museum aligned with their coursework, examining primary source documents, photographs and artifacts.
“By engaging directly with the museum's exhibits, students deepen their understanding of themes such as injustice, resilience and the power of language,” Gooden said, noting it also encourages “critical thinking and empathy, strengthening students' ability to analyze texts within real-world historical contexts.”
The museum’s mission, according to its website, “is to advance and disseminate knowledge about this unprecedented tragedy; to preserve the memory of those who suffered; and to encourage its visitors to reflect upon the questions raised by the events of the Holocaust, as well as their own responsibilities as citizens of a democracy.” In addition to its permanent exhibition, which spans three floors, the museum currently features special exhibitions that include looking at the experience through the lens of one child, a visual exhibition showing images of the sky above every known Nazi concentration camp, and the history and modern state of antisemitism.
Gooden noted the students were “truly amazed” by the museum’s exhibit of shoes taken from victims during the Holocaust, including 4,000 recovered after the liberation of the Majdanek concentration camp in Poland.
“It made the history feel real and deeply personal for them. Many were moved to tears, with the exhibit helping them truly feel the deep emotions and human loss connected to the Holocaust,” Gooden said. “Seeing the overwhelming number of shoes and understanding that each pair represented an individual life created a powerful moment of reflection and sparked meaningful discussion among the students.”
Chaperones included English teachers Jessika Pisano, Maritza Velasco and Kisha-Rae Jones, math teacher Jonathan Cruz and physical education teacher Daniel Gil. Gooden said the group was proud of how the students conducted themselves. 
“Students were deeply engaged with the information presented throughout the museum and demonstrated respect, maturity and emotional awareness during the experience,” Gooden said. “It was truly rewarding to witness their growth beyond the classroom. Our students were an excellent representation of Poughkeepsie High School.”