If she did violate a policy you need to address that violation in what ever manner your company uses to address such issues. How did you come up with the idea to cc your director a response that thanks her and then assigns her "extra task"? What you need to do is address this person one on one; you need to find out why she feels a need to take these actions, what have you done or failed to do that made her feel this way.
Then working with her find a way to correct the problems. You "C.C." the director when you communicate with her asking for a meeting, what that meeting is about, and when you come up with a plan to fix the issues... you always stay positive, you stay focused on the actual work related performance, and you quit being so petty and worrying about how this makes you look. What you do is be a manager, you fix the issues that caused what you see as the problem, her email (which is NOT the real issue here).
I cant really gove you an answer,but what I can give you is a way to a solution, that is you have to find the anglde that you relate to or peaks your interest. A good paper is one that people get drawn into because it reaches them ln some way.As for me WW11 to me, I think of the holocaust and the effect it had on the survivors, their families and those who stood by and did nothing until it was too late.