Spark Interactive is continuing to roll out across local schools, making its first stop in the San Diego Unified School District last month with a visit to Canyon Hills High School in Tierrasanta.
Throughout the week, around 200 students stepped inside the mobile classroom, exploring lessons of the Holocaust through interactive digital exhibits, hands-on activities, and conversations designed to spark curiosity and critical thinking.
For Canyon Hills junior Zaariyah, the experience offered a deeper look at Holocaust history than she had encountered in the classroom.
“I think everybody should get the chance to try this experience because it’s really enlightening,” Zaariyah said. “It just gives you a deeper look into what happened with the Holocaust and how much damage it really caused on people’s lives.”
She said she walked away having learned something new. Her biggest takeaway was simple: “Kindness costs nothing.”
That kind of student engagement is exactly what Principal Dr. Erica Renfree hoped to see when she first experienced Spark Interactive herself earlier this year.
“I think the goal, not only for Spark but for us, is to teach a variety of things, including empathy and understanding,” Renfree said. “Students are able to make parallels between what is happening now, what has happened in our own history, and then how some of those things have led to other things such as the Holocaust.”
Spark Interactive even created a lot of buzz on campus, she said.
“We know that learning doesn’t always happen in a classroom — it happens out in the world, it happens in museums,” said Dr. Michel Cazary, Area B Superintendent for San Diego Unified. “Spark is really unique because it’s a museum that comes to our campuses.”
The visit created opportunities for discussion and reflection that could continue long after Spark Interactive left campus.
“What Spark Interactive does is provide a learning experience for students to not just explore the world around them, but themselves, and to build a bridge to a better future,” Dr. Cazary said.
Canyon Hills is one stop on a growing school-year calendar for Spark Interactive as the mobile experience travels throughout San Diego County.
With each new stop, more students will have the opportunity to engage with Holocaust history and take part in the conversations it inspires.
Interested in bringing Spark Interactive to your school or community? Reach out to learn more about upcoming opportunities and how to get involved.