Life in a Jar/The Irena Sendler Project

Vital Stats

Megan S

Fort Scott, KS

people helped30000
People Doing It 12

The Problem

"I want to teach today's youth about tolerance education, a legacy I gained from unsung Holocaust heroine Irena Sendler," says Megan Stewart-Felt, founding cast member of the award-winning student play "Life in a Jar." I played a key role in developing this play, and I continue to perform the play to school, civic and religious groups throughout the country. Promoting tolerance education concepts of respect and understanding, “Life in a Jar” portrays Irena Sendler’s heroic rescue of over 2,500 Jewish children during the Holocaust. Although today's students are far removed from the horrors of the Holocaust, which were perpetrated through racism and prejudice, I see the need to teach tolerance of diverse populations in our multicultural world. Students need to learn respect and understanding of different groups of people not only as a core value, but also as a core interpersonal skill necessary in many work environments today. My mission is to use project-based learning in teaching K-12 students the importance of respecting and understanding diverse populations. To accomplish this mission, I work with students not only in my small, non-diverse community, but also throughout America, Canada, Germany, Ireland, and Poland, guiding them in developing projects of unsung heroes whose actions have promoted cultural awareness and respect. I would like to further this work through a service-learning project where students present their projects to school, civic and religious groups.

Plan of Action

The program will primarily impact approximately 100 school-age students grades 6-12. While some students may choose individual projects, most will form groups of 3 or 4 to work collaboratively. Students will meet before and after school from January through May to research, develop, complete, and present their projects, which could be documentaries, exhibits, performances, or essays. Students will choose an unsung hero whose life reflects the legacy of teaching respect and understanding for all people. The term “unsung” will be defined as an internet search result of 15,000 results or less. Students will meet with me at least four times for review of project development, and I will assist them in the developing their projects. Students will be given the opportunity to provide service learning through the presentation of their projects to local schools, parents, and civic and religious groups. After the presentations, the audience will be given the opportunity to engage in a “Question and Answer” session with the students. Through these presentations, students are making a difference by educating others in tolerance education and creating excitement in younger students for future projects.