The Power of a Paper Clip

In the late 1998, principal Linda Hooper led a group of inspiring and inspired teachers at Whitwell Middle School in Whitwell, Tennessee, as they looked for a special project to open up the wider world to their young students in a small Appalachian town. They hit upon a subject that has confounded people the world over since World War II, the Holocaust.

The students themselves found a way to commemorate the millions of souls lost to that tragic period in 20th-century history. The students decided to collect six million paper clips.

The Power of a Paper Clip tells how teachers, students, parents, and townspeople were changed by their efforts-and how their efforts changed the world. Next time you see a stray paper clip, pick it up. Slide it onto your lapel, and you too will be part of this story.