HOUSTON, TX (June 18, 2007) – Twenty-one future teachers had the opportunity to learn the best way to teach their students about the Holocaust and other genocides by attending Holocaust Museum Houston’s Warren Fellowship Program this summer.

The 21 students and two faculty members came from eight different Texas universities. They were selected based on an application process that included an essay about the importance of teaching the dangers of intolerance, prejudice and hatred to today’s students.

The six-day training session began May 20 and included presentations from Dr. Lawrence Langer, a Holocaust scholar and emeritus professor of English at Simmons College in Boston; Dr. Anne Wilkes Tucker of the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston; Dr. William Meinecke, Education Historian at U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington, D.C.; author and lecturer Dr. Dorit Whiteman; and Dr. Samuel Totten, genocide scholar and professor at The University of Arkansas.

Ephraim Kaye of Yad Vashem in Jerusalem also gave an introduction to Yad Vashem, three presentations from “Echoes and Reflections,” and a lecture on Holocaust denial.

“The program was a rich opportunity for future teachers to challenge themselves and to prepare to challenge their own future students,” said Mary Lee Webeck, director of education at Holocaust Museum Houston.

The fellows, who will become elementary or secondary school teachers, also were given the opportunity to meet in small groups with Houston-area Holocaust survivors.

The attending students and faculty, their schools and hometowns were:

• The University of Texas at Austin: Tracy Allen (Arlington, TX); Syria Castillo (Leander, TX); Summer Chandler (Houston, TX); Amy Dixon (Austin, TX); Anna Dunn (Cleveland, TX); Erica Fernandez (Austin, TX); Ryan Nassif (Pasadena, TX); Jennifer A. Phillips (Cedar Park, TX); Rhonda Roberts (Seabrook, TX); Haley Wilson (Houston, TX); Steve Woodall (Carbondale, IL).
  
• Trinity University: Katherine Empson (El Paso, TX).
  
• Texas A&M University: Matthew Grumbein (College Station, TX); Ashley Howard (Houston, TX); Tori Jacob (Rosenberg, TX); Caitlin Jones (Arlington, TX).
  
• University of Houston: Trinidad Hernandez (Houston, TX).
  
• Sam Houston State University: Emily Lawrence (Cypress, TX).
  
• Texas Tech University:  Vicki Lund (Lubbock, TX); Jennifer N. Phillips (Floresville, TX); faculty member Dr. Mary Frances Agnello.
  
• Texas State University: Melissa Wilcher (Austin, TX).
  
• Texas A&M-Kingsville System Center-San Antonio: Faculty member Dr. Robin Kapavik (New Braunfels, TX).

The Warren Fellowship Program was developed by Holocaust Museum Houston with a gift in honor of survivor Naomi Warren from her family and friends, through The Warren Fellowship Fund, to train future teachers on strategies and approaches for bringing Holocaust education into the classroom.

Holocaust Museum Houston promotes awareness and educates the public of the dangers of prejudice, hatred and violence against the backdrop of the Holocaust by fostering remembrance, understanding and education.

The Holocaust Museum Houston is free and open to the public and is located in Houston’s Museum District at 5401 Caroline St., Houston, TX 77004. For more information about the Museum, call 713-942-8000 or visit www.hmh.org.