At a Springs School assembly for Veterans Day on Nov. 7, 22 members of different branches of service visited the school to be recognized for their service. Eight were from the Army, three from the Navy, two from the Marine Corps, five from the Coast Guard, and four from the Air Force.
Beforehand, the third graders wrote letters to service members, and many wrote back to the students thanking them for sending the letters. At the beginning of the assembly, students in Joan Branche’s third grade class held flags up for the Presentation of Colors. After this, kindergarten through fifth graders learned what it means to be a veteran and who veterans are as they listened to Monique Sullivan, Joan Branche, and Amanda Krzenski. Finally, Ms. Branche was honored with the Citizen of the Month award for all that she has done for the school and for inviting veterans each year to help students understand the meaning of this important holiday. Ms. Branche accepted the award with tears of joy.
“I hope they took away a better understanding of the different branches of the armed services,” said Kyle O’Connell, senior chief with the Coast Guard.
The third graders Stevie Fine and Eleanoare Boscarino in Ms. Branche’s class had this to say about Veterans Day, “It’s important to honor the people who served in the military. Many people did great things for our country.”
By McKenzie O’Connell, grade 6