On January 27, Green River's Commencement Achievement Program (CAP) put together an event to raise awareness for Holocaust Remembrance Day.
Before this year they had never done an event like this before, and it wasn't until the last minute that the program decided to go along with it.
The event consisted of multi-colored badges that had a different meaning. There were seven different colors and multiple combinations. For example, political enemies of Hitler wore a red badge, gypsies wore a brown badge, and homosexuals wore a pink one.
First year student Taylor Calicoat wanted to help students remember the holocaust and all the people that were affected by it. Green River didn't have anything planned, so Calicoat contacted CAP to try to get something going.
"We've never done anything as last minute as this," said CAP Peer-Navigator Amber Miller, "but we help celebrate cultural and historical remembrance all the time."
The Holocaust Remembrance Day isn't as widely known as most holidays and doesn't get much recognition. Calicoat just wanted to help get it on the map. This was something he had done for many years with his family and thought that it would be a hit at the school.
Students were asked to wear a badge that put them into a group that was persecuted during the holocaust. If someone were a part of multiple groups they could wear multiple badges, showing support for each group. The idea is that people can wear the badges that they would have been associated with had they been there. Ultimately it is designed to show that Jews weren't the only victims.
"We want it to help remember all the victims and not just the Jews," said Calicoat, "even if you don't have an ancestor that was a part of it, you can still be affected."
Many students could be seen wearing their badges. Some students were not interested in wearing one despite showing interest in the event, but for the most part, students wanted a way to memorialize the day by silently remembering it.
All of CAP participated and put in effort to help remember the day and spread the word. Many students stopped by to check out the signs and pay their respect to those affected.
"It was a terrible experience for all of those involved," said second year student Ryan Patterson. "Even though I wasn't personally affected by the holocaust, I understand how hard it is for people."
Calicoat and Miller are extremely pleased at how well the event went. According to them, it was a big hit with the students and many students got involved. The remembrance went way better than they expected and they feel it made a large impact.
After all was said and done, the day was a success in the eyes of its creators. A student with the help of CAP was able to help students remember the victims of the holocaust and allow others to express their values.
"The most important thing is to never forget. It did happen and we need to remember that," said Calicoat.
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