Mrs. Suzanne Loud’s grade 9 Global Studies classes’ study of the Middle East concluded last Thursday with a special presentation. Aila Brand, a social worker from Tel Aviv, Israel, led an informational discussion regarding the ongoing Palestinian/Israeli conflict.  Students had been researching the history of the conflict up through the current situation in Gaza.  Ms. Brand spoke about her family history which included a set of grandparents fleeing the Holocaust in Poland, her mandatory service in the military, and the realities of living with the threat of violence on a daily basis.