On February 6, 2025, the ninth grade had the opportunity to see the production Here There are Blueberries at McCarter Theatre in Princeton. Written by Moisés Kaufman and Amanda Gronich, the play tells the true story of a mysterious Nazi-era photograph album that resurfaced in 2007, exploring how seemingly ordinary people became perpetrators of the Holocaust.

Prior to watching the play, students engaged in background reading and discussions about the Holocaust, connecting it to their current history curriculum. Freshman Dean and science teacher Mr. Abid Shakoor remarked, “It’s important to look back in history and to look at facts, and how no matter what happens in the moment in time where things get lost, these facts always surface themselves.” He believed the play not only illustrated what was happening at the time, but also reinforced the learning by making the stories more accessible and understandable for students.

For Freshman Grant Bagga, the play stood out from typical fantasy and fiction,  feeling more like a historical documentary. He explained, “It really helped us visualize and drive in the point about just how horrible the Holocaust was.” 

What left the biggest impression on freshman Anya Jha was when an archivist came across a photo album showing Nazi officers casually enjoying themselves near Auschwitz. To Jha, it was unsettling to see how normal the Nazi officers’ lives seemed, as it contrasted with everything horrific happening in the world. She shared, “It made me think about how history isn’t always as black and white as it seems in textbooks.” Jha felt that the photographs allowed her to connect more deeply with the history, and understand it on a personal level.

Reading about the Holocaust in textbooks or discussing it in class provides important factual knowledge, but sometimes, watching a play and learning outside of the classroom truly evokes a deeper emotional connection, often leaving a lasting impact.