Sam Ponczak, a Holocaust survivor, shared his and his family’s experiences during World War II with sixth grade parents and teachers at Mary Ellen Henderson Middle School recently. Ponczak  is a regular speaker for the United States Holocaust Museum and has been a guest speaker for the Department of Justice and the Polish Embassy.

He shared his family’s story of survival and their experiences as war refugees to help students understand how Holocaust survivors worked to rebuild their lives, joined together to create new families and moved forward in hopes of creating a better future. Olga Wrona from the Polish Embassy, who is also a parent of a 6th grade student at Henderson, arranged Ponczak’s visit.