Submitted Photos Pictured at left is the Forestville High School AP World History class in Washington, D.C., The trip was made possible with support from the Chautauqua Institute. Forestville High School Teacher Peter Hanzly, left, is pictured at right with his AP World History class in front of the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C.

FORESTVILLE — The Chautauqua Institution has stressed the importance of education centered around the Holocaust and Social Justice for more than a decade. Its program includes workshops, writing contests, scholarships, and even field trips.

For the Forestville Central School District, the program took things even further than it ever imagined.

Thanks to the Chautauqua Institution, the Forestville High School AP World History class was given the opportunity to visit Washington, D.C., to further their education in a way the district has never done before.

Forestville teacher Peter Hanzly called the trip “a really wonderful opportunity”, and highlighted that it was important to “plant some seeds” about the importance of studying historical events and human rights violations of the past.

“For me, at least, it’s always been a dream to take students to Washington, D.C.,” Hanzly said. “Especially a group like this.”

The trip included visits to the Holocaust Museum; the National Archives Museum; the Library of Congress; the People’s House — an experience that mimics the White House; and a walking tour that visited the White House and the World War II Memorial.

“This trip lines up perfectly with our New York state standards in social studies,” Hanzly said. “… I’m hoping this will be a yearly occurrence.”

Small class sizes certainly have their benefits, and in this case, it could not be more true. When the opportunity first presented itself, only three students were offered to be sponsored by the program, but Hanzly did not feel comfortable picking from such a small class of less than 10 students.

Instead, the Chautauqua Institution and the district reversed course and decided to fund the trip for the entire class. The district contributed $75 per student. Students from several other districts were represented, including Silver Creek, Brocton, and Chautauqua Lake.

“Our students were wonderful on this trip. The group I had with me for AP World (History) are a great bunch of young men and women. They really enjoyed our time here,” Hanzly said.