DAPHNE — Butterflies: a symbol of happiness, hope and rebirth.

To students at Daphne High School, butterflies represent a life of someone who passed away during the Holocaust.

On June 4, 1942, Pavel Friedmann, a Jewish Czechoslovak poet who was murdered in the Holocaust, wrote a poem titled “The Butterfly.”

The poem shared Friedman’s experience in the Terezin ghetto and how he never saw another butterfly there.

In 2006, The Butterfly Project (TBP) was co-founded at San Diego Jewish Academy by educator Jan Landau and artist Cherlyn Rattner Price. This goal of the project was to find a new approach to teaching the Holocaust, giving people hands-on experience to remember the 1.5 children murdered and honor those who survived.

When Daphne High School Social Studies Department Chairwoman Kat Robinson learned about TBP, she knew it was something she wanted to share with her students.

Daphne High School Social Studies Department Chairperson Kat Robinson standing in front of the wall of ceramic butterflies. / Natalie Williamson

With the goal to have 700 ceramic butterflies made, Robinson said many people thought it would be impossible considering the high school did not have the capacity to make this happen.

However, with the help of The Eastern Shore Art Center and a grant from Supporting Educational Excellence in Daphne (SEEDS), this “impossible” dream would be a reality.

“I am excited the kids got this experience because it has been really good,” Robinson said. “I think it is one of those things that when you get to do a project like this, this is something that stays with you because you experience it in a lot of ways. It is not just me talking about the Holocaust; they did something hands on and created something that is going to last here on campus.”

Ava Sturzu, a freshman, said she was excited to take part in TBP, not just to paint these ceramic figures, but to learn more about the Holocaust and respect and honor those who lost their life.

“It was really just an honor to help,” Sturzu said. “It is definitely something I would do again. Learning about it in general has been exciting, and I think it is really important that we are remembering the lives of these children.”
These ceramic butterflies were placed on black wall inside the school and also took the stage during the play “I Never Saw Another Butterfly.”

On April 19, DHS’s theater class put on the play that tells the story of Raja Englanderova, a child who survived the Terezin ghetto and her family, friends and classmates.

According to Student Director Em McAlexander, the theater class ashifted the mood with “I Never Saw Another Butterfly.”

Students in the Daphne High School theater classed taking the stage during the play "I Never Saw Another Butterfly," on April 19. / Natalie …

“There has been a lot of character growth because with the shows that we usually do, there is at least a little bit of comedy to it,” McAlexander said. “The actors can really play into that comedy, but with this show, it is strictly business. The actors have really done the research outside the class and learned what it was like to be as much as we can to be a child during that time and they have really taken it on.”

The play and the project are not the end with the 700 ceramic, painted butterflies. In May, these symbols will be placed on a permanent memorial wall inside DHS, giving future Trojans and staff the opportunity to view the project and recognize a life lost during the Holocaust.

“This is a really good example of how a community can come together,” Robinson said. “It is special how they can come together to make something for our students. It has been great, and I cannot wait to see how it turns out.”

This story reflects an update on April 29 to show "The Butterfly" was written in 1942, not 1992.