JARRETT GOODMAN
Staff Writer
Whitwell Middle Schools’ (WMS) Children’s Holocaust Memorial railcar is set to be encased within a glass enclosure following ongoing renovations to the structure.
Announced in a statement through WMS’s Facebook page by School Principal Josh Holtcamp, the Children’s Holocaust Memorial railcar is aiming to be encased within a glass based, climate controlled structure to further protect and preserve the railcar from natural elements. Within the same post, a 3-D rendered image was provided, demonstrating what the memorial will look like once the project is officially complete.
“The rendering is a glimpse into what’s to come, and we’re eager to share the final result,” Holtcamp noted. “Your support is vital in bringing this vision to life.”
According to Holtcamp, Chief Executive Officer of AES Restaurant Group John Wade approached school staff last year with the idea of enclosing the railcar to help preserve the wooden car and the paperclips collected within, and Wade as the primary donor of all the glass to be used for the enclosure. The idea stems from Wade’s own wife and daughter being of Jewish descent, and Wade wanting to contribute to the school’s widely known Paper Clip Project and Holocaust Memorial in a charitable fashion.
After a year of anticipation, and the return of Paper Clips Project Director Taylor McDaniel Kilgore from maternity leave this spring, the project has since gone underway with the first step currently being taken via the inclusion of concrete padding for the enclosure to be built on.
“We’ve come to the conclusion now that we’re trying to get a concrete pad for us so that we can get this HVAC controlled area so the railcar can last forever,” Holtcamp said. “I think sometimes we take that for granted that wood does not last forever,”
Currently, faculty at WMS are accepting donations for those interested into supporting the ongoing project. As work continues, all involved plan to have the glass enclosure completed by early November in time for the railcar’s 25th Anniversary of its dedication Monday, Nov. 9.
Photo from Whitwell Middle School Facebook Page