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JETTA FRASER / TOLEDO BLADE

in
the

Diploma At Long Last

Holocaust survivor connects with area teens — and graduates with them.

ALEXANDRA MESTER TOLEDO BLADE

T

hough she wore the same cap and gown, one
graduate at Lake High School in Millbury, Ohio,
this year stood out.
Holocaust survivor Paula Marks-Bolton, 90, of West
Bloomfield earned an honorary diploma in May, walk-
ing alongside a group of seniors with whom she has
shared a close bond for five years.
“I am so excited,” she said before the ceremony. “My
heart is overwhelmed with joy.”
Marks-Bolton was born in Ozarkow, Poland, and was
a prisoner in Auschwitz, Ravensbruck and other con-
centration camps as a teenager after the Nazis invaded
Poland when she was 13. She has been speaking pub-
licly about her experiences for 26 years, frequently at
the Holocaust Memorial Center in Farmington Hills.
She first met a group of students from Lake Middle

TOP: Eighth-grade English teacher Nikki Bazzoli stands with Paula
Marks-Bolton who received her honorary diploma from Lake
High School in Millbury, Ohio.

School in the Toledo area in 2013.
“We just happened to be able to spend some time
with her afterwards,” said Nikki Bazzoli, an eighth-
grade English teacher. “She sat and spoke to each one
and held their hands. The kids were so moved by her.”
Marks-Bolton said she felt a bond with the students
from the beginning.
The students have kept in touch with her, writing
her letters and inviting her back to northwest Ohio on
several occasions. She spoke at Lake High School in
2015.
Last year, recovery from a knee replacement surgery

kept her from her annual visit to the school. “When
the students heard about my operation, they sent me
cards and care packages. It was so beautiful,” she said.
This year, Marks-Bolton is back on her feet and
looked forward to her visit to Lake High School. She
had no idea the surprise that was in store for her.

A SPECIAL FRIENDSHIP

Marks-Bolton has been visiting with the Lake High
School seniors since they were in middle school, so
they know her well.
“She has such a beautiful point of view on every-
thing,” senior Madelyn Eye said. “Despite everything
she went through, she doesn’t have any hate in her
heart.”
Marks-Bolton lost more than 60 members of her

continued on page 12

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July 13 • 2017

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