WAVERLY - Students at Wartburg College likely don't recall the fall of the Berlin Wall. Many weren't even born when the barrier came down Nov. 9, 1989, between communist East Germany and West Berlin.

A group has studied the poignant moment in history, however, to help the campus participate in Freedom Without Walls. Commemorative events this week, celebrated by Wartburg and other colleges in the United States, mark the 20th anniversary of the wall's demise.

"I think our mission is always to educate," said Edith Waldstein, vice president for enrollment management and a coordinator of student activities for Freedom Without Walls.

Wartburg was one of 25 colleges to win a grant from the Germany Embassy in Washington, D.C., to participate. The college, founded by German pastors and teachers, received $8,000.

Many activities taking place on campus this week, including a charity run and graffiti and speech contests, were prescribed by the embassy and will be judged, said Daniel Walther, a history professor and a coordinator of student activities.

Over the weekend, students erected a 8-by-20-foot replica of the Berlin Wall, and several spray-painted symbolic graffiti on the plywood and Sheetrock canvas.

Student contributor Nathaniel Maldonado, 23, of San Bernardino, Calif., watched video footage of events surrounding the wall's fall for inspiration. Moved by a German phrase scribbled on the wall, he incorporated the words into his artwork.

"It means, ‘The wall is gone' and I thought it was pretty strong and pretty powerful," Maldonado said.

Organizers are also encouraging people to think about barriers that remain in societies. Those can be literal or figurative, Walther said.

"Even if you look at the world today, there are still walls that confront us," he said.

The temporary wall will come down during a ceremony at 5:30 p.m. Friday.

Walther watched coverage of the fall of the Berlin Wall on television while in Germany preparing for an internship at the German Parliament. He vividly recalls the reaction of a German friend, who he said expected the wall to come down but not necessarily in his lifetime.

"It was unfathomable for him," Walther said.

The lesson in this: Existing barriers can and do come down with perseverance and sacrifice, Walther said.

"And now it's 20 years but we still have a lot of work to do," he added.

Activities continue on campus through Friday.