Arts & Life

Spotlight

Clips To Remember

"Paperclips Project" creator inspires local educators about teaching the Holocaust.

S

4/21

2005

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tanding before a crowd of
about 650 people at the
Jewish Community Center
in West Bloomfield, Linda Hooper,
a soft-spoken, unassuming,
Southern middle school principal
challenged the audience to ponder
this question: "What can you do to
make this world a better place?"
ROBIN
Hooper and her students in
S CHWART Z
Whitwell,
Tenn., have answered that
Columnist
question millions of times over.
Their now famous "Paperclips
Project," in which they sought to collect 6 million
paperclips, one for each Jewish victim of the Holocaust,
is educating and inspiring people around the world.
"I firmly believe there's nothing more powerful than
the individual," said Hooper, who shared the school's
incredible story with an audience that included many
Jewish Metro Detroit educators.
"She's very motivating," said Addie Levine, a media
specialist at Wood Creek Elementary School in
Farmington Hills.
"I'm in awe of the project," said Sue Kalisky, a
media specialist at Highmeadow Elementary in
Farmington Hills.
Many in the crowd learned about the project
through the documentary Paperclips that's being
shown at the Birmingham 8 Theatre as part of the
JCC Marwil Jewish Film Festival. The Whitwell stu-
dents were overwhelmed with an outpouring of sup-
port. They've received 30 million paperclips, most
with personal stories to go along with them.
Holocaust survivor Sam Offen of West Bloomfield
has visited the school in Tennessee and was among
- the JCC crowd.
So was Evelyn Wecker Freeman of Farmington
Hills whose uncle, Joshua Wecker, died in the
Holocaust. "I think what these students are doing is a
ray of hope — of what people can be when they
respond to their good impulses," she said.
Also spotted at the April 6 event were: Susan Nest
of Farmington Hills, Joanne Viviano of Southfield,
Ami Ram of Bloomfield Hills, and Carol Fogel,
Leslie Bash, Ronna Galin and Gail Ryder, all of West
Bloomfield.
"We live in a global neighborhood — everything
we do in this world has a ripple effect," said Hooper,
who received a standing ovation from the crowd.
As part of her visit, she also toured the new
Holocaust Memorial Center in Farmington Hills.
Her presentation was sponsored by the Ravitz
Foundation, which supports school- and community-
based programs. The event's chair, Susan Marwil of
Bloomfield Hills, also thanked an anonymous patron.
The Anti-Defamation League will eventually distrib-
ute DVDs of the Paperclips movie to every school in
Metro Detroit.
"Children are our future and we have to inspire
them and teach them all we can so our world will be
a better place," Marwil said. ❑

Clockwise from top: Seated in middle row, from left, Gail Ryder, Ami Ram, Ronna Galin and Joanne
Viviano. Sherie Rappoport ofWest Bloomfield, Linda Hooper and event chair Susan Marwil. Holocaust
survivor Sam Offen praises the students for their work. Margo Weitzer ofWest Bloomfield, Sara Manson of
Southfiek event chair Susan Marwil and Del Weinberg ofWest Bloomfield. Linda Hooper talks to some
event participants.

