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Students Remember and Honor World War II Veterans

Prior to the Memorial Day holiday, seventh-grade students at Ranney School focused their day of learning about World War II and its effect on their lives today. The day began with an interactive distance learning session with the National World War II Museum in the school’s Distance Learning Center (DLC) and a World War II survivor, Bernhard ‘Ben’ Storch, who came to the Middle School to speak to students about his experiences and share a few lessons he learned during and after the war. The day ended with a re-creation of a USO dance and the collection of items to donate to the USO Liberty organization.

The National World War II Museum, based in New Orleans, presented two interactive virtual field trip video conferences to the seventh-grade class. The first field trip, D-Day, The Turning Point of the War in Europe, engaged the students in evaluating primary historical artifacts and documents to help them understand and experience the strategic planning done by allied forces during the invasion of Normandy. The second virtual field trip, The War that Changed the World, Science and Technology in WWII, helped students understand the profound advancements made in science, math and technology as a result of WWII. Advances in rocketry, radar, medicine, nutrition and communication directly led to the invention and current day use of Saran wrap, computers and cell phones, and large-scale production and shipping of products.

Mr. Storch was born on Nov. 10, 1922 near Krakow, Poland, to a Jewish Polish decorated World War I hero. When World War II broke out, Mr. Storch was a teenager. Urged by his mother to seek safer pastures, he left behind his mother and three younger brothers and settled into the western Polish city of Lwow. Unfortunately, this was the last time he saw his family.

Between the years of 1940 and 1945, Mr. Storch underwent tough conditions and unimaginable experiences. He was taken to a labor camp deep in Siberia before being released in 1941. He enlisted and reported to the volunteer First Polish Division in March 1943. Assigned to a Mortar Company as a gunner, he was sent to the warfront in September of 1943, where he and his company encountered the German Army in October. Here, he was awarded a Cross for Bravery during the heavy battle. Mr. Storch took part in the liberation of the Sobibor and Majdanek extermination camps as well as Sachsenhausen where his unit found thousands of victims who were barely alive. Mr. Storch shared some of his stories with the students and encouraged them to strive to eliminate hatred and to seek the best in people.

After being discharged in September of 1945, Mr. Storch and his wife, Ruth, also a Holocaust survivor, left Poland and came to the United States in April 1947. They now have two children and three grandchildren. He currently undertakes a highly active role in his community, including extensive volunteer work with the Jewish War Veterans of the USA and lecturing on Nazi Germany’s atrocities and the Jewish resistance during World War II. He now resides in Rockland County, New York.

Later in the day, students attended a recreated USO dance where they dressed in military uniforms or costumes and enjoyed refreshments, activities and music from the 1940s. Mrs. Goto and Mr. Caleb Mauro, a professional dance instructor, guided the students through popular dances from that era.

In connection with the overall World War II focus, the seventh-grade class also participated in a community service project to collect items to donate to the Liberty USO organization based in Fort Dix, New Jersey. The organization supports soldiers and their families. The class collected 4,868 individually wrapped food and personal hygiene items along with seven cases of sugar/ sweetener packets and six cases of coffee stir sticks for an approximate value of $1,815.

“This was an excellent day of learning for Ranney’s seventh grade,” said David Fischer, Head of the Middle School. “The combination and variety of activities ensured that the students remained engaged and enthusiastic, and they came away with not only a deeper understanding of WWII and its significance in our history, but many fond memories as well. Congratulations to our 7th grade team of teachers for their hard work and sincere interest in bringing this subject to life for our students.”
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Ranney School

235 Hope Road
Tinton Falls, NJ 07724
Tel. 732.542.4777
Our mission is to know and value every child, nurturing intellectual curiosity and confidence, and inspiring students to lead honorably, think creatively, and contribute meaningfully to society. 

We envision Ranney School as a nurturing learning community, in which families, faculty, alumni, and all of Ranney’s constituents collaborate to know and value every child, foster individual talents, sustain powerful connections between children and adults, and graduate resilient, globally-minded citizens.