“It’s not history that repeats itself but human nature that stays the same.”

This was a quote that students in Sarah Smith’s, Carla Murphy’s and Leigh Baltazar’s classes were able to learn more about when they got to meet and listen to three real-life heroes as part of a literature unit about the Holocaust.

Anne Leavy was born during the Holocaust, and she and her family members risked their lives multiple times to stay alive.

Leavy said, “I feel blessed to be able to come and talk to students about my experiences because one day there will not be any more survivors of this horrific time in history. It is now the responsibility of the students to share the story that they heard today to others.”

Students also heard from the A-Team, who is associated with the World War II Museum in New Orleans. This is a team of men who fought and lived through World War II. Tom Blakey and Bert Stolier believe everyone has a story, and they share their story to instill the importance of story telling to the students.

One important message they had for the students was “The WWII Museum is not about planes and guns. It is about men and even woman who risked their lives fighting for their country. It was created to share the stories of these men and woman to each person who comes through the doors.”

The students learned much through these real world experiences and many are still talking about the stories shared even today.