School Registration Information for 2009-10 School Year

Congratulations to our returning re-elected Board of Education members:

Sarah Praneis

Jim Meason

Laura Neece

Welcome to our newest Board of Education member:

Chanice Michowski

Holocaust survivor story moves students at Stephen Mack

When Sam Harris walked out of the Stephen Mack Middle School assembly on November 7^th, he left a lasting impression on the student body.  Students were riveted as they listened to Harris relate a first-hand account of life as a Holocaust survivor.  And they came away with a profoundly different view of this historic tragedy, based on a truly inspiring “living history” lesson.

“He laid it out so clearly, it was as if I was with him in the concentration camp,” said seventh grader Harry Booth.  Added eighth grader Nikki Luczak, “He made me feel sad that something so horrible happened to this world.”

Harris was just 4 years old and living in the peaceful town of Deblin when the Nazis invaded Poland in September of 1939.  Three years later, he watched as most of his family was rounded up, along with almost all of Deblin’s Jewish population, for transport to gas chambers at Treblinka.  Known then as Sammy Rzeznik, Harris later became one of about 20 children at a Deblin concentration camp.  He was ultimately transferred to the Czestochowa concentration camp, where he barely escaped execution.

After the war, Sammy Rzeznik was sent to the United States for adoption, where he was adopted by Ellis and Harriet Golden Harris and began a new life as Sam Harris in suburban Chicago.  Throughout his youth, Harris pushed the memories of his wartime experiences to the deepest parts of his mind, never talking about what had happened to him. 

Harris graduated from college, became a successful businessman, was married and had two children before he was able to revisit the horror of his childhood.  With the help and encouragement of his wife, Dede, Harris began to reconnect with Sammy, the little boy who had seen and survived so much tragedy.  He eventually co-wrote “Sammy: Child Survivor of the Holocaust,” and hopes the book will help keep alive the memory of what happened to European Jews during the Holocaust.

His presentation at Stephen Mack certainly had an impact on the 500-plus students there, and left many to consider the depth of his pain in retelling the story so often.  “When he came to our school, I asked myself why in the world he would want to go through the pain of rethinking the Holocaust for me,” explains Nick McHugh, an eighth grader. 

Samuel R. Harris says he can forgive people for what happened to him and his family, but he will never, ever forget.  And he does not want the world to forget, either.  “As a survivor, as well as the youngest survivor, and because there are so many books written that [the Holocaust] didn’t happen, I feel obligated to share,” he says. 

Harris now serves on the Board of Directors for a new Holocaust Museum in Skokie, IL – but it is in his recounting of life in the Nazi concentration camps for youngsters like those at Stephen Mack that may have an even deeper impact in keeping alive the memory of those lost during the Holocaust.

He certainly succeeded with eighth grader Ben Moyse: “Listening to his story was one of the greatest experiences in my life,” he exclaims.  

Kris Holland

For more pictures, click Public Relations then SMMS PR.

Mission Statement 

To provide excellence in education with support from our community.

Vision Statement

The Rockton School District believes in and is committed to meeting the needs of all children academically, emotionally, physically, and socially so they may become adaptable, compassionate, inquisitive, and knowledgeable adults.  We further believe that the best environment for achieving these goals combines the love, cooperation, and resources of the family, community, and school.

Superintendent's Welcome

Welcome to Rockton School District 140, an exciting place for learning and student involvement. Please take time to explore our website to discover the many learning opportunities that are available for the elementary students enrolled in our schools.