Hero Week 12

Great job last Thursday, Heroes!

It was so FUN to watch you present what you had researched and prepared at our Nuremberg Simulation. The judges who participated gave you some very helpful feedback, and you were exceedingly respectful during the process. 

Thank you for your preparation and your good attitudes. You were AMAZING!

Next week, we will have 3 segments of class:

1)  A special guest will visit and present: Adam's grandpa, Fred Claridge. He will share with us his experiences during WWII.

Please bring prepared questions (written down is a great idea!) so you can ask him about his memories and recollections of that transformational period of American History.

2)  We will also have a chance to have you share with us the results of your interviews. So please have the video/notes/other records of those interviews so that you can show us what you learned.

3)  We will do a more in-depth debrief of the Nuremberg simulation we just finished. Please think about what you learned from the experience so you can share with us.

ALSO - please finish up your Hero Projects because you will be presenting them in class on May 5th.

We are excited to see you next week! Please, as always, email or call with questions!

-Generals Kellie(y)

Hero Week 10

Greetings Heroes!

Class last Thursday was great. We learned so much about the history of the end of WWII, the occupation of post-war Germany, and the War Crime Trials that took place in Europe and Japan.

You all did a wonderful job of taking notes. Your generals were very impressed! Keep up that habit. It will REALLY help you in your success in other classes you take, and other subjects you study. 

We discussed the upcoming Nuremberg Simulation (April 21st). You voted to try Rudolf Hess. Your teams are as follows:

Prosecution: Adam, Archie Hannah
Defense: Benjamin, Kaleigh, Matthew

Rudolf Hess was indicted for the following four charges.

1. Participation in a common plan or conspiracy for the accomplishment of a crime against peace
2. Planning, initiating and waging wars of aggression and other crimes against peace
3. War crimes
4. Crimes against humanity

In the interest of time, however, you are going to charge him on counts 1 and 4 (ignore counts 2 and 3 for our trial).

Your goal is to prove guilt or innocence (depending on which counsel you represent). This will take a lot of research on your part.

To help you in your preparation, understand the following:

1 - Crimes against peace refers to "planning, preparation, initiation, or waging of wars of aggression, or a war in violation of international treaties, agreements or assurances, or participation in a common plan or conspiracy for the accomplishment of any of the foregoing".^[1] This definition of crimes against peace was first incorporated into the Nuremberg Principles and later included in the United Nations Charter.

2 - Crimes against Humanity are certain acts that are committed as part of a widespread or systematic attack directed against any civilian population or an identifiable part of a population. Unlike war crimes, crimes against humanity can be committed during peace or war.^[1] They are not isolated or sporadic events, but are part either of a government policy (although the perpetrators need not identify themselves with this policy) or of a wide practice of atrocities tolerated or condoned by a government or a de facto authority. Murder; massacres;dehumanization; extermination; human experimentation; extrajudicial punishments; death squads; forced disappearances; military use of children; kidnappings; unjust imprisonment; slavery; cannibalism, torture; rape;political, racial, or religious persecution that may include the use of blasphemy laws or laws against defamation of religion or other similar wording, or inappropriate hate speech laws; and other inhumane acts may reach the threshold of crimes against humanity if they are part of a widespread or systematic practice.

You are encouraged to research more on both of these types of crime, so that you more fully understand just on what grounds you are prosecuting/defending.

Please get together with your team to research and prepare. Remember, on each team, during our simulation, one person should give the opening statement, one person should present the evidence, and one person should prepare the closing statement. 

If you are going to use evidence in the trial, you MUST submit the evidence to the opposing counsel and to your mentors/generals.

I know it seems like a lot, but you can do this!!!!!

In order to have time to prepare and order your dog tags, the hard deadline for all of your Hero Project assignments is April 14th.  This is because we have to order and have your prizes delivered by April 27th. The ONLY exception to the completed requirements, is that your Hero Project (compilation of all of your heroes) does not need to finished in its entirety; however, a SIGNIFICANT portion needs to be done, and you need to bring it to class to show it to your mentors.

The rest of the items that need to be done/turned in by that date are:

1 - Finish and discuss all three books

2 - Watch all three movies

3 - Conduct/record three interviews

4 - Complete all writing assignments (usually given as homework assignments)

5 - Complete all journal prompts

6 - Prepare Biography Presentation - these will be given on April 14th! So be ready!

7 - Show your Hero Project to your mentors (it doesn't have to be finished, but it needs to have a significant amount completed!!!)

Please email with any questions. I will email this to you as well as post it, so that you have two reminders, and hopefully your parents all see it as well.

Thank you heroes!

-Generals Walk and Schmieder