In 1944, during the height of World War II, a young American soldier found himself mistakenly separated from his Army unit. His mission had been to disable bridges throughout Holland so the German army could not retreat. However, the lines shifted, and the American soldier found himself stranded and seeking shelter from the dangers of the oppressive German occupation. The German army had advanced into the village of Susteren and set up a German garrison there. In the center of Susteren was a small Inn/Restaurant owned by Joseph Schulpen. The Schulpen family, risking their own safety, offered the American soldier refuge in the basement of the Inn where for six months he lived unsuspected by the enemy. As was common during the war, the Dutch secretly harbored those that the Germans sought to defeat. This American soldier was one of countless saved by the Dutch from falling into enemy hands. While secretly living among the German army, that American soldier met and fell in love with the Inn owner’s daughter, Josephine. Thus out of the horrors of war was born a remarkable love story whose ties are forever linked to the F L Chamberlain School. This is the story of co-founder and Executive Director Bill Doherty’s own parents. “I will always be proud of my Dutch lineage and the Dutch culture of widespread tolerance, compassion and outreach. The Dutch people not only saved my father’s life, but they took him in as one of their own. To this day I have countless Dutch relatives, – not blood relatives, because so many children were orphaned during both World Wars and subsequently taken in as family by my grandparents. That sense of outreach has pervaded my life, and is, I dare say, the very foundation of the F L Chamberlain School.”
Today Chamberlain’s students are offered the unique opportunity to travel not only to Holland, but Belgium and Germany as well. In keeping with Chamberlain School’s travel program, classroom studies precede each overseas departure. Students learn about art, science, history, culture, and current events. Specifics include the life and work of Van Gogh and Rembrandt, the evolution of wind power, the science behind the dike and canal system, and of course, World War II and the story of Anne Frank. All this and more allows each student to actively make educational connections when they finally visit such places as the Jewish Historical Museum and the home of Anne Frank, the Van Gogh Museum, the Peace Palace, and the Kinderdijk windmills. Because the Netherlands is such a small country, travel to the neighboring countries of Germany and Belgium is all in a day’s trip. Students are excited to go on canal boat tours, walk the storied halls of medieval castles, sample local cuisine and discover idiosyncrasies that make one country different from another.
