WPTV: Holocaust Survivor Shares Experiences with Martin County Students
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WPTV - Next year will mark 77 years since the Jewish people were liberated from the Auschwitz concentration camp, as the Nazis killed more than 1 million people during World War II. As families gather together, many are reflecting on a darker piece of Jewish history — the Holocaust.
One survivor is taking time this holiday season to share his story of perseverance to the younger generations in Martin County schools.
Louis Schneider, 87, was born in Belgium in 1934. The Nazi regime would invade the country just six short years later. After his father was shipped to Auschwitz Concentration Camp, he — along with his mother and sister — tried to evade the enemy throughout Belgium, Southern France and Northern Italy.
After the war and miraculously being reunited with his father, the Schneider family immigrated to the United States in 1948.
They became naturalized citizens in 1954 and resided in New York. Mr. Schneider studied Biochemistry and Microbiology as an undergraduate and graduate student, performing work with the U.S. Military.
He earned his doctorate degree and practiced international trade law, representing many German companies. Besides English, Schneider is fluent in French, Italian and German.
When asked about speaking with students, Schneider said he doesn't particularly enjoy doing the speeches but knows how important it is to share his story with younger generations.
"I go into detail to bring across what discrimination creates and, very often, the classes I speak to have groups of kids who are either immigrants themselves or are first-generation after dealing with parents who are immigrants," he shares.
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CBS12: 'Holiday Miracle' - Custodian Finds Assistant Principal's Missing Wedding Diamond |
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CBS12 - It's a story of a happy ending to what one local woman calls an emotional search.
Imagine losing something that’s near and dear to you, like your wedding ring. You panic and think you’ll probably never see it again.
“My heart dropped," said Jensen Beach High School Assistant Principal Jaime Thompson. "This is something you think you’re going to leave your children one day. It’s going to be a part of my family forever. I just froze and sat there, thinking 'oh no, maybe if I don’t move; it’s right here'."
Miraculously and surprisingly, Thompson was reunited with her lost wedding stone, and CBS12 News was there to capture the moments of pure happiness after hours of panic.
“I mean, I could barely believe it. I wanted to scream with excitement,” said Jaime Thompson, who gave a heartfelt thank you to custodian Paul Orlik after he found her missing diamond.
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District Honored as 2021 Florida Green District, Recipient of USDOE's Green Ribbon School Award |
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The Martin County School District has been recognized in recent weeks for its exemplary environmental stewardship and sustainability practices. The U.S. Department of Education (U.S. DOE) recognized MCSD as one of just 11 districts across the nation to earn its prestigious 2020 Green Ribbon School award and the Florida Green School Network named the District one of seven recipients of its 2021 Green School award.
"The Martin County School District demonstrates a year-round commitment to green practices,” Superintendent John D. Millay shared. “Our many school-based initiatives and community partnerships reflect an unwavering dedication to doing our part to make our world a greener place for all.”
Ms. Jennifer Borges, K-12 Science Coordinator, and Mr. Steve Corson of Trane Technologies presented these recognitions to the School Board on Tuesday, November 16, 2021.
To learn more about the U.S. DOE's Green Ribbon Schools program, please click here.
To learn more about the Florida Green School Network's recognition program, please click here.
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High School Students Completing Required First Aid, CPR Training |
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A law passed earlier this year requires Florida school districts to provide ninth and eleventh graders with basic training in first aid, including cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) instruction. Chapter 1003.453(3), Florida Statutes, states the following:
School districts are required to provide basic training in first aid, including cardiopulmonary resuscitation, for all students in grade 9 and grade 11. Instruction in the use of cardiopulmonary resuscitation must be based on a one-hour, nationally recognized program that uses the most current evidence-based emergency cardiovascular care guidelines.
The Martin County School District developed the following training schedule to ensure all freshmen and juniors receive this required instruction:
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Jensen Beach High School - December 6, 2021. 8:20 a.m. - 3:05 p.m.
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Martin County High School - December 7 and 8, 2021. 8:20 a.m. - 3:05 p.m.
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South Fork High School - December 9, 2021. 8:20 a.m. - 3:05 p.m.
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Spectrum Academy - December 10, 2021. 12:50 - 1:40 p.m.
To learn more about the material that will be covered during each training session, please click here. Parents and caregivers are encouraged to contact their child's school with questions about the training.
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Connection at Your Fingertips: Download the MCSD Mobile App Today! |
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Connection to the latest District and school-related news is now at your fingertips! Download the Martin County School District's new mobile app to access information about upcoming events, important news, forms and more. Follow one school, several schools or all MCSD schools - the new mobile app will ensure you never miss a beat!
Download the app today using the appropriate link for your device(s):
Please click the link below to learn how to customize your app settings and get the most out of your experience.
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Your Calling is Calling! District Currently Hiring for a Variety of Positions |
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Explore opportunities and find your dream career with the Martin County School District! We're hiring for a variety of positions. Many opportunities require a minimum of a high school diploma or GED. If you dream of making an impact on the future generation, we'd love to learn more about you!
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Health & Wellness Resources |
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Bookmark our symptom screening tools (English and Español). Monitoring your child's health daily is key to preventing the spread of illness. To help protect their health and the health of those around them, keep your child home from school when they are ill.
Our screening tools will help you quickly assess your child for a wide variety of symptoms, advising what action is recommended and providing listings for local healthcare providers. If your child or a family member in your home is awaiting a COVID-19 test result, the Florida Department of Health in Martin County (DOH Martin) requires all unvaccinated students in the household to remain home.
Team MCSD - please click here to access our employee symptom screener. You will be able to find local care providers who participate in our Florida Blue network and seek care as necessary.
Many local physicians and pharmacies are offering COVID-19 immunizations to interested, eligible individuals. Please click here to locate a provider near you. The CDC and DOH Martin advise that the COVID-19 vaccine is the best, long-term way to fight the virus.
COVID-19 testing is available throughout our community. Click here to view upcoming opportunities for free PCR testing through the Florida Department of Health in Martin County (DOH Martin). Click here to view testing opportunities offered by local pharmacies and physicians.
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Reminders for Families

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The 56th Annual Lillian A. Dassori Elementary Spelling Bee will be held Tuesday, December 14, at 9:15 a.m. The Bee will be held in a virtual format and streamed live here.
The annual Middle School Spelling Bee will be held Tuesday, December 7, at 10:00 a.m. The Bee will be held in a virtual format and streamed live here.
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The Martin County School Board will hold its monthly Workshop at 4:00 p.m. on Tuesday, December 7. The agenda for the Workshop is available here. The meeting will be livestreamed here.
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Tomorrow, December 7, our nation will honor the heroes who lost their lives during the attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941, as well as the survivors whose lives were forever shaped by the events of that day. #PearlHarbor80 #NeverForget
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This month's ESE Parent Workshop is titled "All About the Apps: Tools for Parents." Ally Walford of the Family Network on Disabilities will present on various apps and other media that provide students with different abilities an added boost. The session will be held via Zoom from 6-7:30 p.m. on Thursday, December 16. To register for the session, please email
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Martin County School District-operated schools and offices will be closed Monday, December 20, 2021 - Sunday, January 2, 2022, for Winter Break. Classes will resume on Monday, January 3, 2022.
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Student ID badges are an essential component of our safety plan and many other on-campus functions. Please ensure your child is wearing their school-issued badge each day.
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Students, parents/caregivers and members of the community are our partners in safety. Suspicious activity may be reported to our District safety team and law enforcement for investigation 24/7 via the FortifyFL platform. Please bookmark this page and always remember to "see something, say something."
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Around the District Photo Gallery |
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Ms. Parilli and the Indiantown Middle School Book Club partnered with the African Library Project to send books to children in Uganda. The students' fundraising campaign will send more than 1,000 books to their peers in Africa!
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Students in Ms. Caputo's kindergarten class at Port Salerno Elementary School enjoyed caring for babies as part of their PLAYS rotation. Made possible by the Education Foundation of Martin County, the PLAYS (Purposeful Language Acquisition Yields Success) initiative engages our youngest learners in language development through meaningful pretend play.
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Carla Holbrook, a 1994 graduate of South Fork High School, returned to campus to perform for students during lunch sessions last week.
A member of SGA, band, chorus, and drama while a student at SFHS, Carla has gone on to have great professional success as a musical artist and performer. She has toured the world with many notable music groups, notably serving as the lead vocalist for Grammy-winning artist Salvador Santana (son of Carlos Santana) in the Salvador Santana Band. They toured as the supporting act for Grammy-winning artist Carlos Santana. During the European tour, Carla joined as Carlos Santana's female guest vocalist and continued to share the stage with Santana on many other occasions in California.
Since returning to Stuart, Carla has played different venues around Florida, singing with musicians such as Bob Gaffney of Firefall. She has also been involved with several professional theater productions, including Little Shop of Horrors (Crystal), Dolly Parton's role in 9 to 5: The Musical (Doralee), Cabaret (sailor), and Gypsy (Louise).
South Fork students and staff LOVED listening to Carla’s performance last week!
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Ms. Soviero's and Mrs. Czerwinski’s classes at Felix A. Williams Elementary School enjoyed studying turtles as part of the Inwater Research Group's "Traveling Trunk' program.
As part of their lesson, students measured and explored the characteristics of many different sea turtles, including loggerheads, leatherbacks and hawksbills. Classes were given models that displayed the many dangers turtles face in our waters, and students had to decide whether to rehabilitate or release their turtle after careful examination. Students brainstormed ways to let the public know about how they can help keep turtles from becoming endangered.
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Students in Ms. Wardell's class at Warfield Elementary School had a fantastic time exploring the properties of matter by making slime with Science Lab teacher, Ms. Pachecho-Constantino.
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Kindergarten students at Hobe Sound Elementary School enjoyed their unit on the three states of matter. Ms. Brandt's class did a quick experiment to introduce the subject - students' smiles illustrate how much they loved this lesson!
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Martin County High School enjoyed welcoming Nicholas Ciampi, a member of the Class of 2019, back to campus before the Thanksgiving holiday. Midshipman Ciampi, who attends the United States Naval Academy, inspired students currently enrolled in the Air Force JROTC program.
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Students enrolled in Ms. Thibodeau's Voluntary Prekindergarten (VPK) class at Jensen Beach Elementary School have been learning all about words to set them up for a lifetime of success as readers! Before Thanksgiving, students learned about spacing between words and that pictures can help identify what sentences might say. Click here to listen as students show what they know and demonstrate their "I can read" attitude!
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Every Friday, second graders at Crystal Lake Elementary School enjoy engaging in the "practice of science" by performing hands-on experiments. After learning about the water cycle, students created their own models!
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Superintendent John D. Millay recently visited the District's Purchasing, Warehousing and Reprographics Department. He spoke with Renee Hayes and Cesar Rodriguez about the role the department plays in ensuring our schools and offices have the supplies they need to run smoothly. Watch the video...
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Construction on the new Palm City Elementary School is moving right along! "With every new brick, we grow more excited!" Principal Robyn Monte exclaimed. "A big Wildcat thank you for all of the hard workers who are building our new school. It is so interesting to watch each phase of the construction!"
The new Palm City Elementary School campus is being funded by the half-cent sales tax increase that Martin County voters generously approved in 2018. To learn more about how the Martin County School District is using dollars generated by the half-cent sales tax referendum, please click here.
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"Our new school is taking shape right before our eyes!" Jensen Beach Elementary School Principal Jennifer Michels said. "Shout out to Mr. Jimmy Walton and Mr. Dave Williams, as well as our fabulous Proctor Construction crew, for orchestrating this project."
The new Jensen Beach Elementary School campus is being funded by the half-cent sales tax increase that Martin County voters generously approved in 2018. To learn more about how the Martin County School District is using dollars generated by the half-cent sales tax referendum, please click here.
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We are #ALLINMartinđź‘Š and ready to help ALL students achieve their #MCSDPotential! |
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