A Manning High School teacher recently represented South Carolina on the international stage after being selected to attend the 2026 Centropa Summer Academy, a professional development program focused on strengthening Holocaust education through historical study and global collaboration.
Tara Dozier, social studies department head at Manning High School, was the only South Carolina educator selected for the academy, which brought together more than 65 teachers from 16 countries. Her participation was made possible through sponsorship from the South Carolina Council on the Holocaust.
During the program, participants traveled through Vienna, Austria; Prague; and Terezín in the Czech Republic, visiting museums, memorials and historic sites while learning from Holocaust survivors, historians and fellow educators.
As a member of the academy's Kindertransport cohort, Dozier worked with educators Marta Valverde Carbó of Barcelona, Spain, and Vaidotas Pakalniškis of Lithuania to develop an inquiry-based lesson centered on the Kindertransport, the rescue effort that helped thousands of Jewish children escape Nazi-controlled Europe before World War II. The lesson is designed to encourage students to examine history through empathy, critical thinking and personal reflection.
"One of the most meaningful parts of the experience was collaborating with teachers from different countries and cultures," Dozier said. "Although we teach in different educational systems, we share a common goal of helping students think critically, learn from history, and become engaged citizens."
This fall, Dozier plans to incorporate the instructional strategies and global perspectives she gained through the academy into her civics classes at Manning High School while sharing what she learned with educators throughout Clarendon County School District.
Founded in Vienna and Budapest in 2000, Centropa works to preserve Jewish memory in Central and Eastern Europe by collecting personal stories, photographs and historical documents from Holocaust survivors. In 2023, its archive was acquired by the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington, D.C., expanding public access to the organization's extensive collection.
The annual Centropa Summer Academy brings educators together to explore Holocaust history, exchange teaching strategies and develop classroom resources that promote historical understanding and civic engagement.
