Alcoa High School students take interest in Berlin Wall
By Matthew Stewartmatts@thedailytimes.com
Originally published: November 19. 2009 3:01AM
Last modified: November 19. 2009 7:12AM
The Berlin Wall fell 20 years ago; and Alcoa High School students — who weren't even alive — have recently taken interest in its significance.
The school's German Club — which is also sponsored by German and social studies teacher Ken Brown — recently spent 15 days in Germany and gained firsthand experience of the country.
Students were also able to spend two days in Berlin, which proved to be extremely relevant on the eve of the 20th anniversary of the Berlin Wall falling. They also had home stays with former East German families.
Students visited the Berlin Wall, Jewish Museum Berlin, Reichstag building, the Checkpoint Charlie Museum, Brandenburg Gate and Pergamon Museum.
Many students enjoyed visiting the Checkpoint Charlie Museum and learning about some of the ways East Germans tried to escape. Students also took a 16-mile bike tour through the city. They said cobblestones are used to mark where the Berlin Wall used to stand.
Students even saw artists returning to repaint the Berlin Wall for this weekend's festivities. Germans have celebrated with concerts boasting Beethoven and Bon Jovi; a memorial service for the 136 people killed trying to cross over from 1961 to 1989; candle lightings and 1,000 towering plastic foam dominoes to be placed along the wall's route and tipped over.
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