Photo courtesy of Diamond Bar HS
Holocaust Art Contest Winner Hailey Shi

Courtesy of DBHS

Diamond Bar– On Friday, March 4, Diamond Bar High School sophomore Hailey Shi won 1st place in the annual Holocaust Art and Writing Contest held at Chapman University.

Hailey previously won the Holocaust Art and Writing Contest in the Middle School category when she was in the 8^th grade.  Earlier this year, she decided she wanted to submit an entry as a high school student.

In order to prepare for the competition, Hailey listened to hours of tape recorded interviews of Holocaust survivors.  She played the recordings in the car as her parents drove her to school and back.  After listening to the horrific memories of a number of survivors, she chose Mr. Sol Liber as the person to whom she dedicated her painting.  Hailey felt a deep emotional connection to the suffering he endured. His memories evoked visual imagery that she created in response to his life story.

The resulting painting is a blend of portraiture, emotional drama, and heart-wrenching imagery.  Hailey is skilled at composition, color, and dramatic lighting.

In partnership with The 1939 Society, one of the largest and most active Holocaust survivor organizations in the United States, and with the support of the Samueli Foundation, Dana and Yossie Hollander and others, the Rodgers Center for Holocaust Education annually sponsors an art and writing contest for middle and high school students.
Focusing on themes central both to the Holocaust and to ethical decision making in our world today, the contest gives students from public, private and parochial schools the opportunity to share their creative  works in response to survivors’ oral testimonies.

Representatives and educators from each school attend the awards ceremony, where they meet Holocaust survivors.  First-place student winners, their parents/guardians and teachers are invited to participate in an afternoon conversation, followed by a special event dinner, in Los Angeles with 1939 Society members who are survivors and witnesses to the Holocaust.