Amherst students honor Freedom Week by building, tearing down 'Berlin Wall'

Amherst Central High School Conservative Club members, from left to right, Jack Barratt, Gabi DiBella, Allison Clack, Josh Dotzler, Alex Peckey, John Guzda, and Janie Abel, built a replica of the Berlin Wall to commemorate Freedom Week, World Freedom Day (the anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall), and Veterans Day.

Last week, students at Amherst Central High School tore down a replica of the Berlin Wall to commemorate Freedom Week.

Organized by the Conservative Club, the students built a wall, 8 feet by 8 feet, and displayed it on the school's lawn on Thursday and Friday.

Freedom Week, designated Nov. 5-9, was created by Young America's Foundation and is held at hundreds of high school campuses each year. It's held the same week as Election Day, World Freedom Day and the anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall, as well as Veterans Day.

In addition to the Berlin Wall, club members created anti-communism posters.

The Berlin Wall was torn down on Nov. 9, 1989 and coincided with the collapse of the Soviet Union. President George W. Bush declared the day World Freedom Day in 2001 to recognize freedom's victory over tyranny at the fall of the wall.

"The fall of the Berlin Wall was such a significant event in history, and it is often overlooked and ignored by teachers and administrators," Conservative Club member John Guzda said. "With so many teachers and professors still preaching Marxism, the Conservative Club wants to promote the victory of freedom and teach students about the horrors of communist regimes."

The Conservative Club, in its second year of existence, is an organization committed to creating an intellectual balance of ideas on campus and sharing the principles of freedom, patriotism, strong national defense, smaller government and traditional values.

For information on Young America's Foundation and Freedom Week nationwide, visit www.yaf.org.