Two Students Named Second Annual Pete Wilson ’51 Fellows for Normandy Academy

Last year, thanks to the generosity of Mr. Edward “Tee” Turner Baur ’64, we announced the inaugural winners of the Pete Wilson ’51 Fellows for Normandy Academy scholarship. Each year, two MICDS students will be selected to receive full scholarships (including flights, tuition, and meals) to participate in the Academy. The National World War II Museum’s Normandy Academy is a 12-day immersive summer learning experience in New Orleans, Louisiana, and Normandy, France, that challenges students to learn from the choices made before and during the historic D-Day landings. Interested 10th and 11th graders submitted applications, essays, and faculty recommendations last fall.

We are pleased to announce that Jackson Strelo ’22 and Aanya Tiwari ’23 are this year’s Pete Wilson ’51 Fellows for Normandy Academy. Carla Federman, JK-12 History and Social Sciences Department Chair, said, “We were delighted to once again have a large and very strong pool of applicants from the sophomore and junior classes. The Fellowship Committee, made up of administrators and faculty members, was impressed by the essays and interviews that all applicants completed, and we’re thrilled that Jackson and Aanya will be able to participate in and represent MICDS at the Normandy Academy this summer.”

Jackson Strelo ’22

Strelo is excited about this opportunity. He shared, “I applied my sophomore year because I was developing a strong interest in history (I can give a lot of credit to my now two-year History Teacher and Advisor Mr. McCurties for this), and it had quickly gone from my least favorite class to by far my absolute favorite. However, I didn’t quite understand the real importance of why/what we should learn from our history. I didn’t understand until completing my U.S. History course and turning in a 13-page research paper on the history of rights for the disabled that from learning about our history, we gain two important things: 1) how not to behave as a society, but also 2) what we can actually gain from a strong understanding of historical societies. As for this program, I’m extremely excited to become more acquainted with many overlooked elements of WW II such as machinery, the personal lives of soldiers, and the narratives carried by not only Americans in the 30s-40s but also the French. I’ve been studying the French language and culture since 7th grade, so it will also be a treat to apply it firsthand. It’s safe to say that through my classes as well as some personal research, WW II has become one of my favorite topics to learn about as well as discuss!”

Aanya Tiwari ’23

Tiwari said, “I applied for this program in order to learn, empathize, and connect with the events that took place at Normandy. Being able to gain depth and greater insight into the historic D-Day landings not only improves my overall understanding of the topic but allows me to empathize as an individual. Having traveled all throughout my life, I make it a priority to assimilate myself in whatever surroundings I am put in. Furthermore, I find myself feeling nostalgic and drawing parallels with the 30 years-long civil war that took place in my home on the island of Sri Lanka. Growing up on this beautiful island that was on the brink of a civil war yields many daunting memories. I also take this opportunity to reminisce these ingrained memories and draw useful connections.”

Strelo and Tiwari will be joining last year’s winners, Andrew Lindsey ’21 and Cate Cody ’22, whose summer trip was postponed due to the pandemic. After the program, all four students will give brief presentations on their experience to the 9th grade class, in alignment with the Post-1900 World unit on World War II.

Congratulations, Normandy Academy Fellows!

(Note: the photo at the top of this article is of Pete Wilson ’51 addressing the student body at an Upper School assembly in January 2019.)