BILLINGS — Fifteen students at Billings West High School are taking on the role of educators, as they guide their peers through a traveling Anne Frank exhibit, which is currently in the school cafeteria.
The exhibit will be in Billings until Feb. 20, when history teacher Rob Stanton will deliver it to Bozeman. For now, those 15 volunteer docents are leading tours and sharing Anne Frank's story with multiple classes each day.
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"It's really empowering to be able to tell her stories," said Boston MacDonald, who's one of the docents. "Just hearing how mature she was as a 14-year-old and hearing her stories and the things she wrote is very inspirational."
MacDonald and the other 14 docents underwent hours of emotional and educational training. She said that it has really extended her perspective, especially as a senior in high school.
"A lot of our training had to do with almost putting yourself in the place of how these Jewish German people must've felt going through all of these experiences," MacDonald said.
Stanton said he's proud of the students who have stepped up to help.
"They're leading right now, and it's good to follow them and their example," Stanton said. "It kind of pushed them out of their comfort zone, a lot of them. When they first did the lectures, they were pretty sheepish and didn't want to come into the cafeteria."
Now, the students confidently share Anne Frank's stories, and their passion for learning continues to grow through the experience.
"Getting that first tour through is what inspired me to even learn more about it, even from what we've learned," MacDonald said.
The exhibit has sparked such interest that MacDonald and several classmates plan to accompany Stanton on a trip to Poland this summer to deepen their understanding of Holocaust history.
"I just think it's going to be very interesting to walk through all this history with someone who's got a connection to it," MacDonald said.
Stanton said the goal of hosting the exhibit was to deepen the students' understanding, while also reminding them of the importance of unity.
"We have to focus on stories like Anne Frank," Stanton said. "I think when we do that, we can all take a deep breath and realize we're in this together."
An event will be held with a guest speaker at West High on Feb. 11 at 6 p.m. Stanton said it is open to the public.
