March 2 - Two guest speakers honored the Middle School with presentations on Wednesday, February 10.
Holocaust Survivor Shares His Experiences with the 7th Grade
As a part of the Holocaust unit, the 7th grade student body was given the opportunity to hear Dr. Philip Wagenaar's experience and the part he played as a Holocaust survivor in the Netherlands. Like many other children at age 16, his studies, both for education and religion, were interrupted as the Germans started to dehumanize the Jews. Wagenaar's family moved towards the coast but were quickly caught and separated. Dr. Wagenaar was sent with his father to Westerbork, a Nazi transit camp. When Philip and his father arrived they only stayed there for two days. When it came time to inspect the Jews, Philip pretended to have a mental disorder and was sent home with his father immediately. Unfortunately, his parents were soon taken away and killed. Wagenaar spent the rest of the war working on farms and hiding from the Nazis until liberation. He was later reunited with his brother. After the Holocaust, Wagenaar traveled to the United States and received his MD and studied Ophthalmology. -Sophie Johansen
Student quotes from letters to Dr. Wagenaar:
“Seeing what you’ve been through, losing your faith, your parents, and almost all of your friends really made me realize how bad World War II was. I will remember you and your experience when you were hiding behind a haystack while the Nazis were outside searching for you.” -Frances Gellert
“I admire you for your perseverance. I think it is great that you a speaking out, and I think it will definitely make a difference. I will always remember how you opened up your presentation when you blew your whistle and made us all panic. That must have been how you felt the whole time. I am really sorry about what you had to go through. I think your fast thinking and pretending that you were mentally ill was a very smart thing to do. Again I’d like to thank you for coming to our school and sharing your experience.” -Dylan Mortimer
Jim Wickwire, First American to Summit K2, Visits Seattle Academy's 8th Grade
Seattle lawyer Jim Wickwire not only earned the distinction of being the first American to summit K2 in 1978 but also survived what, at the time, was the highest ever recorded solo bivouac at 27,750 feet. In the “death zone,” without supplemental oxygen, a parka, or anything more than a thin nylon sack in which to hunker down for the night, he defied the odds in temperatures estimated to be around minus forty degrees Farenheit. His gripping story riveted the attention of the eighth graders, along with a number of remarkable slides showing the magnitude of K2, the approach to it up the Baltoro Glacier, and the climb itself. He even showed slides of the remote high-altitude village of Korphe, where Greg Mortenson built his first school.
In a letter to Wickwire, eighth grader Ellie Peters wrote: “While we were reading Three Cups of Tea, I wondered what the [Baltoro] glacier looked like; the photo you showed my class really helped me imagine what your and Greg’s treks must have been like.” Classmate Decker O’Donnell added, “I was fascinated by your presentation yesterday and amazed that anyone could take on that kind of a climb. It was inspiring to see the scale of the mountain and the risks involved in summiting it.” Another eighth grader, Lilia Cohen, called the presentation “life-changing.” She went on to say “I cannot imagine having the inner fortitude to survive such a bivouac. The fact that you pushed through those unimaginably difficult circumstances is remarkably inspiring. You taught me that even if I may not be the strongest or the most daring, I can still accomplish anything I really put my heart into. I will never forget your wise words.”
Students were also excited to be able to see just how high Mortenson had climbed on K2 before having to abort a summit attempt and instead rescue a seriously ill fellow climber. In addition, Wickwire’s slides showed how Greg happened to end up on the wrong side of the Braldu River and wander into Korphe, a village which had never before been visited by outsiders. Wickwire stressed that on the flip side of every failure, such as Greg’s to summit K2, there is always opportunity. He encouraged students to think about how they could similarly better the world around them, whether it meant traveling to another country or simply tackling an issue in their own backyards.
Many students lingered after the presentation to shake hands, ask a few final questions or ask about Wickwire’s memoir, Addicted to Danger, which chronicles many more of his incredible climbing adventures. Eli Etzioni declared, “You are one of the most inspiring people I have ever heard speak, and I’m not going to forget what you said anytime soon.” -Sonja Nielsen, 8th Grade English Teacher
Jim Wickwire with Sonja Nielsen
