Anne Frank exhibition brings the past to the present

Priory pupils know that the story of Anne Frank is as relevant today as it was in the 1940s – and they have been learning more about it. 

The Anne Frank exhibition, through the Anne Frank Trust, is in Priory this week and Year 9 volunteers have studied Anne’s life in-depth to act as tour guides.  

Anne, a Jew, wrote a diary when hiding from the Nazi's in 1942 before she died in Bergen-Belsen concentration camp in 1944.  

Her diary showed the impact of prejudice and hatred on individual lives – a lesson still applicable today, especially with the current crisis in Ukraine. 

Lead Teacher for History Mr Eccles said: “The story of Anne Frank is as relevant today as it was then. It shows what can happen if you let discrimination and prejudice get out of hand and allow dangerous ideas to flourish, ending in violence and murder. 

“We still see this in the world today, especially the current situation in Ukraine. It’s still relevant and how one person in power can impact the lives of so many adults and children. 

“The Trust train our pupils to be tour guides. We asked for volunteers and it’s been brilliant to see the broad range of pupils who have come forward. 

“It’s a huge thing to learn something in-depth and then stand in front of pupils to talk about it and pupils have taken themselves out of their comfort zone to become guides.  

“It’s a different way of learning, it’s not teacher-led, it’s pupil-led. 

“They know about Anne Frank from primary school but this enhances their knowledge.” 

Year 9 Grace D is one of the tour guides and she said: “I had a couple of meetings with Mr Eccles and it’s something I wanted to do. I am very interested in World War 1 and World War 2 and I enjoy history. 

“I have learnt a lot about Anne Frank’s life and what happened in World War 2. We have the Ukraine crisis going on now and that’s something we will mention in our tour.” 

James S, another guide, said: “I am passionate about history, I have been since I was a little boy and so being a tour guide for the Anne Frank Trust is a perfect fit for me. 

“It’s like history is repeating itself today and we have to try and learn from the past.” 

Alanis M added: "Mr Eccles asked us all if we wanted to help and I was really interested. I like history and am taking it as a GCSE so it caught my eye.

"Over the last few weeks we've been learning what we needed to say with Mr McKee from The Anne Frank Trust; he taught us the ropes so we knew what we were going to do. 

"At the start of the exhibition, we did the presentation for our year group, it was really nerve-wracking even though I'm confident.  It was such a boost for me and my public speaking skills. 

"The group themselves answered questions well and had a good knowledge of the Holocaust anyway which is so important. They all had great questions for us and were pretty engaged. One of the best questions so far was from a pupil who asked about the German occupation and the background of World War 2 and how many countries were invaded. 

"This interest shows that compassion with World War 2 is still alive. It made me feel as though we're not just a school, we're a community and we can share our common interests and ask questions and share our love of history. 

"Anne Frank's story is still so important and the diary gives us an inside look into those being persecuted. 

"I hope that we keep running the exhibition in years to come as it's so interesting and we should keep Anne's legacy alive. We can correct reflections of Nazi culture in our culture and stop hate and atrocities before they happen."