Standout Spartan: Maggie LaRoach '31

Each year, Steward seventh graders participate in the Sala and Aron Samueli Holocaust Art and Writing Contest sponsored by Chapman University. Congratulations to Maggie LaRoach ’31, who was named a finalist.

This year’s contest theme was “hope.” From the contest website: “Fragile as the seeds of a dandelion, hope became a source of strength for those persecuted during the Holocaust. Hope took many forms, grounded in memories from the past and dreams for the future.” Students watched survivor and rescuer testimony videos and created pieces of writing or works of art based on a word or phrase from the testimony that inspired them.

Seven semifinalists from the Class of 2031 were chosen by Middle School English Teacher Mary Hopkins and Lower/Middle School Visual Arts Teacher Abby Klein: Ava Diatelevi, Maggie LaRoach, Evan Olexy, Alana Ross, Cora Sandine, Megan Welch, and Mason Wingfield.

Then, the Middle School administrators selected three entries to send to the international contest. This year’s entrants were Maggie, Alana, and Mason. Maggie achieved finalist status for her essay, “Together.” An excerpt from her touching piece:

Watch a video of an interview with Maggie.

Maggie said, “This prose was inspired by the quote, ‘It was sad, but we were happy because we were together,’ from Holocaust survivor Rosa Ivankowski. It made me think about how people can find strength in each other during the hardest moments. I wanted to write about how sadness and happiness can exist at the same time, especially for a child trying to understand a scary and changing world. As I wrote, I imagined how fear, hunger, and uncertainty would feel, but also how love could act as a form of quiet resistance.”

Ms. Hopkins said, “We are so proud of Maggie and all the participants. This was not an easy assignment. It required students to delve into a wrenching subject, reflect deeply, and write thoughtfully. Congratulations to Maggie and all of our young writers.”