Vladimir Munk with filmmaker Julie Canepa. (Photo from “Return to Auschwitz: The Survival of Vladimir Munk”)

At a recent Monday Seminar, Northwood School experienced an enlightening talk by Julie Canepa on Vladimir Munk and his incredible story. The intention of this seminar was to inform and answer any questions that Northwood students and faculty had on Munk’s life story. To provide context for the seminar, students previously spent class time watching Return to Auschwitz: The Survival of Vladimir Munk in their respective history classes. This documentary is about Holocaust survivor Vladimir Munk, who returns to the infamous Auschwitz concentration camp 75 years later.

The film follows Munk as he shares his story and experiences in the Holocaust. Throughout the documentary, Munk reflects on the horrors he witnessed and how they have impacted his life since. He also speaks about the luck involved in his road to freedom and how he found love amidst the turmoil. Most importantly, he talks about the life he lived beyond his time spent in the concentration camps. It gives a refreshing look into the adaptation of the human spirit. The documentary is a powerful reminder of the human casualty of the Holocaust and the importance of preserving its memory.

Julie Canepa lives and works in Plattsburgh, about an hour north of Northwood School. Humanities department chair Ms. Heather Odell noted that Canepa’s proximity made it possible for the filmmaker to visit Northwood and “provide us with a first-hand look at what surviving the Holocaust really meant,” Odell said.

“Return to Auschwitz: The Survival of Vladimir Munk” was shown on PBS and is available for rent on Amazon Prime.

Julie Canepa met Vladimir Munk at Meadowbrook Healthcare, a skilled nursing care facility in Plattsburgh where Mr. Munk lives. Ms. Canepa performed a mini concert there, and afterward, she learned that Mr. Munk was a survivor of the Holocaust. Ms. Canepa then revisited Mr. Munk to talk about his story, which soon became a regular occurrence. She began to learn more about Mr. Munk and formed a powerful bond with him. Fast forward, Mr. Munk received an invitation to Auschwitz for the 75^th Anniversary of the Liberation of Auschwitz, along with a guest of choice. Mr. Munk was hesitant to make the long journey but agreed and invited Ms. Canepa to accompany him. She shared this emotional trip with Mr. Munk. She filmed it along the way, incorporating multiple informational points of view through the concentration camps with knowledge known to only Mr. Munk.

Ms. Odell and Academic Dean Ms. Noel Carmichael were the leading force behind making this possible. They believed in the necessity to bring light to this survivor’s story and continue the memory of those who survived the Holocaust and those who fought trying. Ms. Odell said the goal for bringing in Julie Canepa to speak about the documentary “was for students to be able to form a personal connection to the memory of the Holocaust. When historical events occur before students are old enough to derive meaning from their significance, these connections are paramount in keeping history alive.” Mrs. Odell talked about how her classes were affected by this experience and said, “Students have written Mr. Munk letters, inquiring about his favorite football club to what it was like to relive Auschwitz. The Northwood community has kept our conversation alive by engaging in conversations about what life was like during WWII and the Holocaust. Students have also commented on Mr. Munk’s energetic nature and what it takes to turn 98, which he will do at the end of the month.” Not only did Munk’s story alter some of the students’ previous perspectives, but it also affected Ms. Odell herself. “Mr. Munk’s story gave me an opportunity to revisit this impactful time in history. His life journey is astounding, and we have so much to learn from his courage. I’m in awe of his resilience, bravery, and intellect. There are no words to capture what Mr. Munk has endured. Listening to his narrative is a privilege.”

The events and specifics of Munk’s story were striking to many students. “It affected me quite a lot. I saw what he had to go through, and I empathized for him,” Mitchell Baker ’25 said. Baker also thought that Canepa coming to speak added value to the learning experience. “It made it more personal…her actually being there and telling the story made it feel like it was real, rather than watching it on just a TV or reading out of a textbook. It helped me engage more.”

Multiple other students also agreed that the inclusion of Ms. Canepa in the seminar added a realness to them. “It was a very eye-opening experience,” A.J. Etumnu, Jr. ’25 said.

If you listen closely, you’ll hear what students are talking about on campus. “What’s going to happen in the next Euphoria episode?” It seems like nearly everyone is watching the show on HBOMax.  

The cast of Euphoria features Sydney Sweeney as Cassie Howard, Hunter Schafer as Jules Vaughn, Zendaya as Rue Bennett, Maude Apatow as Lexi Howard, and Jacob Elordi as Nate Jacobs. (Photo: IMDB)

Euphoria follows a group of high school students as they try to navigate teenage life while dealing with drug addiction, physical and emotional abuse, sex, gender identity, and body insecurities.  

It’s a favorite of Northwood students, but why? Maisie Crane ’23 likes the show because it depicts real-life issues high school students face but in a fantasized way. “Younger viewers connect with the show because it’s a fantasized version of the modern-day high school life. Some of the scenarios the writers thought up, happen to multiple teenagers on a day-to-day basis,” Crane said. 

The show depicts teenage life through the variety of characters developed by Sam Levinson, the show’s creator. The issues that are shown in the television series are the same ones that your classmates could be dealing with and you wouldn’t have any idea.  

The show being rated TV-MA (Mature Audience) makes some parents nervous, and if the rating doesn’t raise concerns, the warning at the beginning of the most episodes will: “This episode contains depictions of drug abuse, very strong language, some strong violence, scenes of a sexual nature and strong images of nudity from the start.” The idea of a fifteen-year-old watching a show based on the horrors within high school is unsettling for most parents.  

Students understand parents’ concerns, but they still the think they should be allowed to watch. “Some adults don’t realize that although we are still in high school and learning, we know right from wrong, and we can choose to be persuaded or not,” said Bryan Jones ‘22 a Euphoria viewer.  

Season Two of Euphoria just concluded and is available to stream. HBOMax recently announced plans for season three. 

Parilov/Shutterstock

The Russian invasion of Ukraine may be on the other side of the world, but in many Northwood classrooms, it’s what’s for homework and the topic of the day’s lesson. 

On February 23rd around 4:00 am, Russia started to invade Ukraine. This conflict has been an ongoing situation for many years. Russia and Ukraine had previously been close allies until Ukraine made gestures to join NATO when tensions between the neighboring countries arose. Russia was irritated when they heard Ukraine was attempting to join NATO because the two countries have been close for generations; Ukraine was part of the U.S.S.R. Russia began stationing troops around Ukraine, insisting they weren’t going to attack — until they did of February 23rd. Many innocent people have been injured or killed while Russia invaded and attacked Ukrainian military bases, infrastructure, and according to some news reports, civilian targets.  

In response to the current events happening in the world some of Northwood’s teachers have been keeping their students up to date.  

In the ninth grade Integrated Humanities class taught by Ms. Carmichael and Ms. Wardlaw, they had been listening to a podcast overviewing the events in Ukraine. The podcast touched on the people of Ukraine that are fleeing to surrounding countries, people going into Ukraine to help fight, families having to say goodbye to loved ones going to fight, commercial flights being cancelled because of the crisis, and media outlets backed by Russia being banned.  

Students also discussed war history and how this crisis compares to past events. Teachers consistently ask students’ opinions on what they were learning. They had previously written personal reflections on the crisis; in the future they will look back on what happened without any media bias.  

Also, to relate to students’ athletic interests, they discussed how Russia and Belarus, a close ally of Russia who provided support for the invasion, were getting kicked out of the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) and FIFA (Fédération Internationale de Football Association). Many athletic teams from around the work have objected to allowing Russia into international completions. 

Students in Ms. Odell’s and Ms. Riffle’s sophomore Integrated Humanities class are also comparing the Ukraine crisis to past wars to see how they correlate. “We learned about NATO, which was founded after World War II, and the Cold War and the Soviet Union and how it collapsed and how that relates to the current ongoing war and conflict in Ukraine and Russia,” Brian Brady ‘24 said. Brady also said he’s interested to see how the U.S. responds, and how the conflict will affect fossil fuel prices. Brady said he appreciated discussing current events in class. “It broadens our understanding of what’s happening in the world,” he said. 

Students in Mr. Nemec’s AP Macroeconomics class they have been learning about the Ukraine crisis from a financial standpoint. “In Economics, we’re trying to follow the economic impact [of the conflict],” Nemec said. “It’ll be interesting to see the effect of sanctions. The Russian economy will be directly impacted, and it’ll be interesting how their leadership navigates,” he added.