Otsego is honored to host the Anne Frank Exhibit: A History for Today, starting February 2nd. This 32-panel, museum quality exhibit, traveling the country from the Anne Frank Center at the University of South Carolina, presents the history of the Holocaust through the perspective of Anne Frank and her family. Pairing photographs of the Frank family with historical images, the exhibit is a powerful exploration of Anne’s story, the history surrounding it and lasting lessons her legacy teaches about resilience. 

This exhibit is meant to encourage student dialogue, which is why students are trained to be the tour guides of the exhibit. Twenty middle and high school students are going through a two-day training to learn about the exhibit and how to guide others through it. Each tour will be unique because students are encouraged to reflect on their own takeaways from the exhibit. “The power of this program is that students take ownership of the history and Anne Frank's story as guides, then talk to their peers about it while they give tours of the exhibit. And when students talk to one another about this history, it resonates,” says Corey Harbaugh, Anne Frank Center Curriculum & Instruction Specialist. 

“When students are trained and trusted to serve in this capacity, we are leaning into our young people as capable, trusted, thoughtful leaders,” says middle school English Language Arts (ELA) teacher, Ashley Leneway, “Their voices are centered and they are entrusted with important stories, much like how Anne Frank made such a huge impact on the world. In this role, students move from passive learning to ownership, empathy, and responsibility. Rather than simply consuming history- they carry it forward. That is a gift.”

The exhibit arrived at the end of January for set-up and training; tours will begin with classrooms the first week of February. All 6th-12th grade students will have the opportunity to visit the exhibit. “What I am most excited about is that our students will learn about the Holocaust not through trauma or death, but through a young person's perspective, Anne Frank, her voice and her humanity. Anne was only 13 years old when she and her family went into hiding and her diary is filled with life, humor, wisdom, fear, and hope. That level of humanity brings history to life in a way facts alone never could,” Leneway adds.

“As a Holocaust educator, I love to give my students as many real world experiences as possible, and since I can’t take them to see Anne Frank’s house in Amsterdam, this is the next best thing,” says Lori Laughlin, OHS ELA and Holocaust teacher. "I'm very excited to have them all be a part of this wonderful opportunity.”

Otsego is also holding a community night that is open to all families and the public to tour the exhibit and view a short film called “The Ice Cream Man”, a film shortlisted for Best Live Action Short Film in the 2025 Academy Awards. Students will also see this film in class as an accompaniment to visiting the exhibit. “The Ice Cream Man” tells the true story of Ernst Cahn, a man whose courage and selflessness defied the Nazis during World War II. The community night screening will be hosted by Harbaugh who will lead a discussion and Q & A. The film will play multiple times through the evening.

Having this exhibit at Otsego Public Schools is part of a larger effort in Allegan County to give all students the opportunity to witness history in this unique way. Thanks to a partnership with the Allegan Area Educational Service Agency and the Anne Frank Center, with support from the Allegan County Community Foundation, the exhibit will be in Allegan County for three years. Each AAESA school district will host this exhibit for one month; it began in Allegan in December. 

The Allegan County Community Foundation will also host an event sharing the film and welcoming the film’s writer, director and producer, Robert Moniot, who will share personal insights into the making of the film and its historical significance, offering guests a rare behind-the-scenes perspective. This screening will take place on March 5, 2026 at The Griswold in Allegan.