As part of their social studies lessons, Nassakeag Elementary School sixth-grade students learned about one of the world’s darkest time periods when Holocaust survivor and author Ruth Minsky Sender spoke to them about her remarkable story of courage and survival.

Ms. Minsky Sender described how the dreams she had for her future came to a halt following the German invasion of Poland, where she was born. The heart-wrenching stories she shared – from the loss of her family to the day her oldest friend became a Nazi soldier – painted a clear picture of this devastating part of the history that the students had been studying in class. Additionally, she reflected on many of the stories documented in her memoirs, one of which many of the students had read.