The members of the Paper Clip Club are: Lilly Luttringer, Tori Brodner, Kaitlyn Fry, Jillian Bailey, Coral Justice, Shelby Hurst, Jacque McCloskey, Taylor Hatch, Andrea Wireman, Nicole Ketchem, Kristal Heath, Spencer Guerrero, Nicole Lea, Lora Estrada , Miranda Retzlaff, Ronnee Luttringer, Lori Guerrero, Jennie Justice,4: Sean Valoris ,Tyler Craft, Kyle Noland, Mrs. Ahrens, Mrs. Wienrank, Michelle Hatch, Ms. Wienrank, Jane Noland, Matt Plummer, Miranda Relzlaff and Taylor Nomanson.
by Cindy Ward/
[email protected]
The meaning behind 6 million paper clips
A new group at the Kankakee Valley Intermediate School has lofty and honorable aspirations: they hope to promote tolerance and acceptance in school, at home, and in the community. The clubs name is meaningful and full of history; it's The Paper Clip Club.
Teacher Carol Wienrank said she showed “The Paper Clip Movie”3 to the students and they were very moved and motivated. The movie tells the dramatic story of students at a school in Tennessee, who upon learning that paper clips were worn by Norwegians during World War II as a symbol of unity and protest against Nazi occupation, began collection paper clips. The paper clip was invented in 1800's by a Norwegians. The Norwegians were not allowed to wear the lapel pins of their king, so they wore paper clips. The wearing of the paper clip was considered a crime by the Nazi's and the wearer could be arrested.
The students in Tennessee, after learning of the six million Jews killed by the Nazi's, wanted to see what six million of something looked like and decided to collect six million paper clips. The student's story reached a reporter, and the story reached the world. They received many more than six million paper clips. They also received one of the original box cars which carried Jews and other persecuted people to concentration camps. The donated box car stands at the school with six million paper clips inside.
After seeing the movie, DeMotte Intermediate students wanted to form a club, the paper clip club. Thursday was the groups second meeting. They are making paper clip angels to sell to raise funds for projects. They also made activity books, which promote tolerance and acceptance of others, for younger students.
Wienrank has applied for a 25,000 Lilly Grant for the group and should know if the group will receive the grant by March 2007. The money would send Weinrank on a three week tour of various areas, vastly different from the Kankakee Valley area, such as low income areas of New Orleans, hispanic areas of San Antonio, and Native American reservations of Hopi Indians in Flag Staff. The students and Wienrank would take a trip to various ethnic neighborhoods in Chicago to include Jewish neighborhoods.
The grant and the trips would include setting up technology at the various neighborhood schools, so the students could communicate with one another.
The 29 member strong group includes parents and staff, not just students.
To find out more about the club, or to purchase a paper clip angel, contact Wienrank at DeMotte Intermediate school.
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