RVMS student taking documentary on neighbor to national competition

A documentary about her former neighbor in Hoyt – a man who survived the Dutch famine during World War II and later became an accomplished chef in America – is sending Royal Valley seventh-grade student Lilly Rooks to the National History Day competition near Washington D.C. this summer.

Rooks recently took first place in the junior documentary division at the State History Day competition with her 11-minute film “Tragedy and Greatness: The Encounters of Ron Klerk de Reus.”

The documentary delves into the life of Klerk de Reus, who was Rooks’ neighbor for many years before he died in January.

Klerk de Reus was just a child when he experienced the “Hunger Winter” when the Germans occupied part of the Netherlands in 1944 during World War II. The famine was the result of a German blockade that cut off food and fuel supplies.

In the documentary, Klerk de Reus recalls his mother trading in family possessions – her wedding ring, a gold necklace and a camera – in exchange for food. His parents made the decision to send him away on a Red Cross flatbed truck to the eastern part of Holland where there was food. He was only seven years old.

After the war, Klerk de Reus was reunited with his family and later joined the Dutch Navy as a cook. He moved to America and became a citizen in 1964, working in cafeterias and restaurants, expanding his culinary skills.

“At this point in time, Ron became a very skilled chef and had the opportunity to cook for President Richard Nixon, Vice President Spiro Agnew, golfer Arnold Palmer, late night talk show host Johnny Carson and violinist Isaac Stern,” Rooks said.

Klerk de Reus opened up a sandwich shop, “Dutch Treat,” in Iowa and then retired and moved to Hoyt in the early 2000s in order to live near a friend in Topeka.

“I always worked so hard and I did good,” Klerk de Reus says in the film.

He died Jan. 6 at the age of 82, a month after Rooks interviewed him for the documentary.

“He always just liked to tell me stories whenever I would visit him,” Rooks said of deciding to start work on the documentary.

With help from Nathan McAlister, RVMS history teacher, and Brenda Hainey, RVMS education technology specialist, Rooks interviewed Klerk de Reus, transcribed her notes and then made a storyboard for the film.

Next, she wrote her script, researched the “Hunger Winter,” compiled photos and learned how to use Photoshop and the professional film editing software Final Cut Pro.

“Once we got Final Cut Pro, we learned that the school’s computers weren’t strong enough to run the program so the district bought four new computers for the school,” Hainey said. “The district has been very supportive of this project the whole way through.” 

Rooks said she spent more than 500 hours working on the film.

“I would come to school at 7 a.m., and I would leave at 7 p.m.,” she said. “I also worked on some Saturdays and Sundays.”

Rooks took third place at districts, which was held March 12. She took comments from the judges and revamped the film for the state competition, which was April 23.

Since she won state, Rooks will now compete at the National History Day event this summer at The University of Maryland at College Park. Students from China, South Korea and northeast Asia will also be competing at the event that includes a variety of projects, such as history exhibits, websites, performances and papers by individuals and teams. 

McAlister said Rooks is the first Royal Valley student to compete at district and state History Day events.

“To say we are excited and proud of Lilly is an understatement,” McAlister said. “I have been blown away by the experiences of this man. She has put in the time, and it really shows. We wish Lilly the best of luck at nationals.”

A surprise school assembly was held last Tuesday in Mayetta to honor Rooks and the success of her film.

“It’s not very often at the middle school level that we get to talk about a state champion,” said John Linn, Royal Valley Middle School principal. “We’re very proud of Lilly and all her efforts.”

Rooks is the daughter of Travis and Christy Rooks of Mayetta.