Middle school students from across the Papillion La Vista Community Schools district recently participated in an enriching interdisciplinary field trip to the University of Nebraska - Omaha (UNO), where they explored connections between art, history, and creative expression through a carefully curated educational experience designed to complement their Holocaust studies curriculum.

The educational visit centered around a guided tour of the Samuel Bak Museum, a specialized institution dedicated to preserving and showcasing the profound artwork of Holocaust survivor and internationally acclaimed artist Samuel Bak. Through expert guidance, students gained deeper insights into how artistic expression can serve as both historical documentation and emotional processing of traumatic historical events.

Following the museum portion of their visit, students had the opportunity to explore the technical aspects of artistic production through visits to the UNO School of Arts' papermaking laboratory and the university's library archives. These experiences provided hands-on learning about the physical processes behind creating artistic media and the importance of preserving historical documents and artifacts.

The field trip culminated in a creative workshop where students applied their experiences by designing and creating their own zines (hand-crafted booklets/magazines). This project allowed them to synthesize their learning while exercising their own voices through a combination of visual and written expression, directly integrating with the district's eighth grade Holocaust curriculum.