Local students honor veterans

Local schools honored current and past members of the military in a variety of ways last week.

Friday, Nov. 11 was Veteran’s Day. Since schools were closed, most recognition events took place earlier in the week.

Wednesday, Nov. 8, Prune Hill honored veterans and current military personnel with an assembly that included a slide show with more than 90 submissions of family members who served or are currently serving. Additionally, several veterans were in attendance and recognized with applause.

On a more somber note, a table of remembrance for prisoners of war and those missing in action, was also included. The idea is based on the book, “America’s White Table,” by Margot Raven.

The Prune Hill Penguin Choir sang each branch of the military’s ‘song’, in which any veteran of that branch stands in the audience.

“This has become a Prune Hill tradition with our families, and the addition of current local military service men and women coming in uniform allows the students to connect to Veteran’s Day in a unique way,” said Julie Swan, principal. “This assembly is one way for us to show our community that November 11 means more to us than just a day off.”

Fifth-grader Matthew Sitler noted that Veteran’s Day is a day to remember, and take a moment of silence and reflect.

“This is one of my favorite assemblies, and I got to read about my dad who came to represent the Air Force for our school,” he said. “This year since I was speaking on the stage, I could see the students’ faces and I could tell as they were watching the slideshow that they really understand what this day means.”

At Woodburn Elementary, members of VFW Post 4278 presented the colors and led the school in the Pledge of Allegiance to kick off the assembly Nov. 10.

The choir, led by music teacher Warren Ainley, performed, “The Star Spangled Banner,” “I’m Proud To Be An American,” “Grand Old Flag,” “America The Beautiful,” and “God Bless America.”

The assembly concluded with the song, “Letters From War” and all veterans in attendance received a standing ovation.