Use Your Words: Recent Episodes
Sam Futrell & Rebekah O'Dell
This is Use Your Words, a seasonal podcast featuring the voices and perspectives of middle school students. Each season, lovable, insightful, awkward middle schoolers craft episodes on topics they’re learning in English and history. While these student-led episodes form the backbone of our podcast, teachers Rebekah O’Dell and Samantha Futrell introduce and conclude each season with episodes designed to help other educators conduct similar projects in their own classrooms. The ultimate product is an endearingly organic experiment in education.
Mary Allison and Olivia share their perspectives on The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
Sam, Reagan, Wynn, Sawyer, and Lawson each share their perspective on Dragon Hoops by Gene Luen Yang
Book reviews from June (The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas), Magovern (The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins), Charlotte (Other Words from Home by Jasmine Warga), Sarah Carter (New Kid by Jerry Craft), Libby (Today, Tonight, Tomorrow by Rachel Lynn Solomon), and Umber (Beast Player by Nahoko Uehashi).
Book Reviews from Norah (Lovely War by Julie Berry), Matthew (The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams), Jonah (Lost in the Pacific 1942: Not a Drop to Drink by Tod Olson), Ryan (Patron Saints of Nothing by Randy Ribay), Tucker (The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton), and James (And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie)
Book Reviews from Foster (Every Falling Star by Sungju Lee), Clara (The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton), Jack (Escape from Warsaw by Ian Serrillier), and Kinsley (Prisoner B-3087 by Alan Gratz)
A conversation between Sam and Rebekah to take you behind the scenes of the 8th grade book review mini-cast project.
Featuring reviews of Commander in Cheat by Rick Reilly, The Good Girls by Clara Eliza Bartlett, The Crossover by Kwame Alexander, and Where the World Ends by Geraldine McCaughrean
In this episode, listen to the story of Holocaust Survivor Rosalia (Rosalina) Katz Kaplan. Rosalia made her way through the Resistance network in Holland to an estimated 20 different safe houses while hiding from the Nazis as a young girl from 1941-1944. After being captured in 1944, Rosalia survived three concentration camps, including Auschwitz, where she was used for medical experiments. Despite her incredible experiences, Rosalia shared a message of love and tolerance with students around the state of Virginia until she died in 2017. This story is an abridged version her 2006 interview recorded by the Virginia Holocaust Museum.
Our student June describes Holocaust survivor Clara Daniels as a well dressed, soft spoken woman who survived the unspeakable. Clara lived in Hungary during WWII, and was sent to Auschwitz after Hitler's invasion in 1944. In Auschwitz, Clara experienced true horrors, like being forced to watch executions, do hard labor, and suffer starvation. But June tells us that along with luck, Clara’s positive spirit and connection to other women helped her to survive the concentration camp. June was saddened to learn of Clara's death in 2018, and this episode is dedicated to Clara's life and memory.
George Landecker is a happy, kind, bald, slow speaking, gentle 84 year old man wearing a white and blue striped shirt. Prior to WW2, George had a pretty good life living with a middle class family in a decent sized home. Despite his father thinking “he was more of a German than a Jew,” this all changed in 1939 at the onset of the war. In this episode, our seventh grade student, Sam, reveals how George’s life was thrown into chaos.
Julianna Toth, a Holocaust survivor, was born into world war in 1941. Listen to seventh grader Molly retell Julianna and her family's harrowing experiences of living through the Holocaust and Russian occupation of Hungary from the 1930s to 1967. This epic story spans generations, providing listeners with context of WW2 and Cold War hostility toward the Jewish people and the Jew's power to overcome discrimination.
Otto Schimmel, from Budapest hungary, survived three Nazi concentration camps during the Holocaust, one of which was the infamous Auschwitz II-Birkenau death camp. Our seventh grader, Myles, tells us Otto's story by emulating the Otto's stream-of-consciousness interview, making the episode feel personal-- Myle's own grandfather’s grandmother was killed in the Holocaust. Overall, Myles hopes that by retelling Otto Schimmel's story, he can preserve Otto's story in history, so that others can be inspired by it.
Ursula Murden, a religious Lutheran, was persecuted for being an ethnic Jew during the Holocaust. Despite her horrific journey, Ursula experienced many acts of kindness from Germans as well. Listen to our student Libby retell Ursula's story. Ultimately, Libby concludes, “we categorize Germany as the villain, but we have to remember not all of Germany is the villain, just the hateful people and Nazis”
The best summation of this episode comes from our student, Roman, who tells Steven's story in this episode:
Steven Kende’s life is best described by this quote from Golden Son by Pierce Brown, “All that we have is that shout into the wind - how we live. How we go. And how we stand before we fall.¨ During the Holocaust all Steven Kende had was that shout into the wind -- how he lived and stood before enormous adversity. Steven Kende survived four concentration camps, lost nine family members and gained only nightmares of the past during the Holocaust. When asked what he thinks the most important thing we should learn from the Holocaust Steven Kende simply said: “That we never do it again.”
This is the story of Agnes Heller, who survived the ghettoization and bombing of her hometown in Hungary from 1944-1945. Let our student Sophi's soft voice carry you through Agnes' experience during WWII. Like all Holocaust survivors, Agnes' story is unique, but carries a similar message to many of our other stories this season. Sophi says she learned the how hope can prevail, even in the toughest of times. And that the power of family is priceless.
When Roger Loria was born in 1940, Belgium was invaded by the Nazi Germans. He was only three weeks old at the time. So, in 1940, his family decided to try and flee from Belgium. Escaping with Roger was his father, Wolf Loria, his mother, Dina Maisel, his Great uncle Hiem, and his great uncle’s children. Roger’s family felt as if they were refugees walking down the streets. There was no food, and travel was very difficult on the road away from the Germans. Sadly the escape attempt was unsuccessful. Roger’s family, along with others escaping Belgium were caught in-between British and German forces at Dunkirk. The Germans forced the refugees back to Belgium. Ultimately, Roger's family went into hiding to save him, allowing him to grow up to develop a successful treatment for cancer during his career as a medical scientist in the United States. This Roger's story.
A patient woman sits in a grey padded chair and waits. Her name is Panina Leviatan. She was a studious girl when she was younger, and was a student when her world was shattered. Panina Leviatan would survive the Holocaust. In this episode, Gretchen recounts Panina's life as a student in Lithuania and her escape of the Jewish genocide in Europe by fleeing to Israel.
Born in Poland in 1924, Alan Zimm and his brother Sol, were the sole survivors of the Holocaust in their family. Through luck, calculated decisions and shere willpower, Alan made it through ghettos and a concentration work camp to ultimately be rescued by the English in 1945, one month prior to V-E Day. Our seventh grader, Matthew, provides a concise and compelling view of Alan Zimm's experience and determination during the Holocaust. Alan Zimm recently passed away after testing positive for COVID-19. This episode is dedicated to his life and memory.
Before Halina Zimm was separated from her family in the midst of the Holocaust, her father told her to never ever tell anyone she was Jewish. From that moment on Halina became Wanda Kazusek. Though Halina's new identity helped protect her from being murdered by the Nazis, Halina knew she would never see her family again. During the war, Halina used her fake identity to work as a maid for various German families, including officers in the German military.
Solomon Zimm, Sol for short, is the brother of Alan Zimm (one of our other featured Holocaust survivors this season). Alan and Sol were the only members of their family to survive the Holocaust, and Sol's story is incredible. Sol was first captured in 1939 as part of the Polish army defending Hitler's invasion, and was put in a POW camp. Afterwards, the Nazis transferred Sol from concentration camp to concentration camp throughout the war, spending most of his time at the infamous Auschwitz-Birkenau. There, every hair on his body was shaved; he got a number tattooed on his arm, and was dumped in a bath of lye to prevent the spread of lice. Seventh grader Grayson tells us that Sol's survival is nothing short of a miracle, and it is one that you have to hear to believe.
In one of the most unique episodes of this season, our student Eila retells the story of Inga Asher. Born in Berlin, Germany in 1920, Inga and her family experienced the horrors of Kristallnacht, the Night of Broken Glass, first hand. Her father's shop was destroyed, and the Jewish community in Berlin came under direct, violent threat. To save the family, Inga's father bought all of them tickets to a place as far away from Berlin as seemingly possible-- Shanghai, China. Inga and her family made the incredible journey to Shanghai, avoiding the worst of the Holocaust, but soon found themselves forcibly moved from their home into the Jewish ghetto of Shanghai. Inga's story shows the geographical reach of the Nazi's influence, the breadth of global anti-Semitism, and the power of the Jewish community.
The date is September 1st, 1939, and it’s a normal day for 12 year-old Jewish Ted Lehman. He is visiting his grandmother in Zawiercie, Poland when word begins to spread that the Nazis are invading. In that moment and the years after, everything changed for Ted. The life as he knew it stopped and a new, horrible one began.
Edna B. Ipson, her children and her husband Israel were some of the only 500 Jews living in Lithuania to survive the Nazi extermination there. Our student Lila takes us through the horrific and unbelievable story of Edna's life, showing us that Edna lived her life for her children before during and after the Holocaust. Through ingenuity, luck, and sheer force of will, Edna and Israel were able to save their family from Hitler's final solution, ultimately allowing her son Jay Ipson to move to Richmond, Virginia and co-found the Virginia Holocaust Museum.
In this episode, seventh grade student, Liam, recounts the harrowing story of Holocaust survivor, Samuel Althaus. Separated from family, Samuel was relocated countless times and survived both Auschwitz-Birkenau and Dachau concentration camps. Liam details life in concentration camps, and how prisoners worked together to survive.
We, Rebekah O'Dell and Samantha Futrell, are just thrilled to welcome you back to Use Your Words for our SIXTH season! We are so excited! Particularly, we are excited to introduce you to our new Use Your Words host, Reid McBride. In this episode, Reid, Sam and Rebekah take you through this year's seventh grade Holocaust and WW2 podcast project. Students created these podcast episodes in the midst of a global pandemic and quarantine, without ever stepping foot in our physical the classrooms during the course of the project. This created many challenges for everyone involved, but it also led to some surprising successes. Listen to find out how we structured this project and how you can repurpose it for your own classroom-- in person or online.
Emerson wants listeners to know more about how Richmond has changed in the past fifty years. In this episode, her family history and what Richmond was like when her mother and grandmother lived inside the city. They compare the differences between that time period and now from two residents' perspectives.
In this episode, Preston talks about the Huyard family and how they have made their home in Virginia. Relax and listen to stories of farm life and growing up in an Amish household. It is really cool to hear the stories of these intertwined families and how their stories are brought from their youth into the 21st century.
In this podcast Sonnie will be joined by her dad, Josh, and grandpa, Steve, to talk about her family's past life and emotional geography. She talks about their jobs, hobbies and beliefs.
In this episode, Thomas explores connections between his family- the Strickler's- and himself.
In this episode, Molly takes a look at her paternal family: starting from the beginning when they came to America. From marriage scandals to lawsuits, Molly uncovers things she never knew about her family. With interviews from her father and grandfather, Molly makes great discoveries.
In this episode, Will talks to his dad about living in a very small town known as Colonial Beach. He talks about what it was like to live knowing pretty much everybody in the town and what it was like to spend a childhood there. Also, he discusses how living in a small town environment might have affected his lifestyle/ personality today. He talks about having a German mother and how that affected him as a child and much more details about Germany.
In this episode, Caroline talks to her mom and grandmother about where they have lived. Caroline's family has connections to previous cities and homes, but they have lived in many different homes they feel as if some homes don't have as strong connections as other homes. Caroline's family has more connections to experiences and memories with each other then they feel with the homes that they have lived in.
In this episode, Taylor talks to his mom who grew up in McConnelsville Ohio, and how she grew up living in a small town, and a farm. She talks about what it's like to live in a small town with older siblings, as well as how she sees reflexivity in Taylor today. Taylor asks questions about how she came into Richmond as well as how she gets nostalgic when visiting her old city of McConnelsville.
In the FIRST EVER episode of "Use Your Words" Rebekah and Sam discuss their decision to rebrand The Harkness podcast. Additionally, they share detailed information about their students' newest project on emotional geography-- the study of how geographic themes influence a person's behavioral psychology.
Katie and Abigail connect The Boy in the Striped Pajamas with their study of WWII through the theme of sacrifice.
In this thoughtful episode, Katharine and Caroline walk with Ellie Wiesel through his difficult battle with faith during his Holocaust experience. These girls deal with a tough topic with sensitivity and introspection, connecting Wiesel's experience to history and their own relationship with faith.
Wills and Ethan look into what people do to survive and examples of ways certain aspects of survival make us act. Join them as they discuss WWII, Night(The memoir by Elie Wiesel), and personal experiences to bring you a podcast full of learning emotion and discussion.
Molly and Shepard discuss how when friends are so close they become like family, prejudice can be overcome. Referencing the New York Times article "My friend 'Virginia from Virginia"' The movie the Book Thief, events in WW2, the Virginia Holocaust Museum, The Boy in The Striped Pajamas, and Anna Frank, these girls take a touching perspective on how love can triumph hate.
As Nathan and Caden connect Night by Ellie Wiesel with their historical analysis of the Holocaust and its impact on the world, they become fascinated by Holocaust victim's choices during their saga in the concentration camps. Helping others- it's a choice. Prayer-- it's a choice. Eating-- it's a choice. Walking-- it's a choice. Surviving-- it's a choice.
Jackson and Ruby discuss how ignorance can play a critical role in your fate. They look back in history, their lives, and fiction to examine how confrontations with reality shape the lives of people throughout the world. Knowledge is power, but sometimes we don't want to acknowledge the truth because it tells us things about ourselves and our world that are difficult to accept.
In this episode, Rebekah and I interview the brilliant Holocaust education experts Megan Ferenczy and Matt Simpson! Their work at the Virginia Holocaust Museum as Director of Education and Director of Guest Services affords them equal, yet unique opportunities to educate the public on the Holocaust. They share the strategies for how to create safe spaces for students when discussing difficult topics in class, and provide resources for other educators who want to expand their students' study of the Holocaust beyond Anne Frank and Night.
What does it take to create a revolution? This episode explores that question and its answers as we study case studies from America, the Congo, and Russia alongside the music of the Civil Rights movement and the musical sensation, Hamilton.
In this episode, Mary-Katherine and Annabelle work to expose the relationship between power vacuums and CIA interference in post-colonial Africa. Black Sabbath and The Police make an appearance.
In this episode, Ben, Henry, Tyler, and Sam consider the Rwandan Genocide's relationship to European colonialism.
In this episode, several students study Apartheid's lingering effects on South Africa, and make a strong connection between American folk music and black South African's search for equality.
In this episode, Kendall, Emily, and Melanie examine the Algerian War for Independence and its connections to decolonization.
In this episode, Peyton and Virginia analyze the CIA's involvement in Nelson Mandela's arrest during Apartheid in South Africa alongside Simon and Garfunkle's "The Sound of Silence".
In this episode, Rebekah and I discuss the newest crop of student-generated episodes. This season, we asked our eighth grade World History students to draw thematic connections between the decolonization of Africa to 20th century music. We talk about their struggles and triumphs, and why this is a such an awesome project...for high schoolers.
On this special season finale, we feature Sam O'Brien's episode that was selected as a runner-up in the New York Times Student Podcast Contest, placing in the top 15 out of almost 700 submissions!
In this episode, Lauren and Emma discuss the difficulties Syrians face when trying to access clean water and what role governments around the world play in their citizens' rights to basic human needs.
In this episode, Amani, Fran, and Avery analyze how large portions of Puerto Rico remain without power after hurricane Maria, when Puerto Rico has been the territory of the world's foremost superpower for over a hundred years.
In this episode, Corbin, Claire, Anne-Kinsey, and Camille explore the relationship between education and female empowerment in Pakistan.
In this episode, Skyler, Ruby, and Bacheler examine the Libyan slave trade and its symbiotic relationship with globalization.
In this episode, Alan, Sara, Taylor, and Gordon analyze the connections between at-risk youth in Syria and their tendency to join terrorist organizations.
In this episode, Rebekah O'Dell and Sam Futrell discuss their latest student podcasting experiment, in which students were asked to raise awareness about current crises in Latin America and the Middle East through podcasting.
In this episode, Page, Ben, Brooks, and Marlee evaluate America's involvement in World War II and the responsibility that Americans have as global citizens.
On this episode, podcast hosts Sam Futrell and Rebekah O'Dell share a final take on this season's student episodes, pedagogical takeaways and student comments on the WWII podcast project, shout-outs to awesome student work, and a preview of next season's new podcast experiment.
On this episode, Annabelle, Ava, August and Isabelle discuss the bystander effect and their responsibility to advocate for the safety and security of all people around the world.
In this episode, Sophia, Kendall, and Anna discuss the role of fate in their own lives and the lives of Jews involved in the Holocaust.
On this episode, Lucy, Kathryn, and Mary Katherine examine the relationship between fate, regret, and their own privilege in relation to global events.
On this episode, Sam, Faith, Peyton, and Sam examine how stress affects their everyday lives and connect it with the fateful decisions made by Anne Frank and Elie Wiesel during WWII.
On this episode, podcast hosts Rebekah O'Dell and Sam Futrell explain Harkness discussions and how they relate to podcasting, talk about how we got students started with this particular podcasting experiment, and we'll share where we are in our current student-led podcast project.