Seneca Valley students from Jim Lucto's classes met with Howard Chandler, a holocaust survivor, on Dec. 10.

JACKSON TWP — Seneca Valley High School history students got a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to speak with a Holocaust survivor who lived through the concentration camps at Auschwitz and Buchenwald.

A group of 38 juniors and seniors from Jim Lucot's AP government and honor U.S. history classes had a private meeting with Howard Chandler of Toronto. Chandler was in his teens when he was forced into labor by the Nazis and later sent to Auschwitz.

“They're the last generation that'll ever be able to discuss Auschwitz or the camp system or death marches or liberation,” Lucot said. “The rest of the survivors today will have been children and a lot of them don't remember anything.”

Chandler was visiting Pittsburgh for a week, and Lucot was able to secure an afternoon meeting with him during Chandler's busy stay in the area.

Students traveled to the Rodef Shalom Congregation in Shadyside Dec. 10 to hear him speak about his experiences during World War II and his life after.

They were also able to ask Chandler questions.

Hedy Chandler, his daughter and manager, said her father speaks to student groups several times a year in Toronto and abroad. While in Pittsburgh, he spoke to two school groups a day reaching thousands of students, she said.

Maggie Wallowicz, a Seneca Valley senior, said this is the only time she's been able to meet a Holocaust survivor. She noted how Chandler was not angry or vengeful after the traumatic experiences he went through.

“He was really amazing,” she said. “I think for me the most interesting thing was seeing how he reacted. He was so nice and happy. We talked about all these unimaginable things, but he was never fazed by it.

“He was really trying to promote love.”