Veterans Day

Our school LOVES to celebrate Veterans Day in a BIG, BIG, BIG way.  We have such a big celebration for the veterans that we have news crew from our area each time we have our Veterans Day event!  We host many veterans from various branches of the military (last year we had a WWII vet in attendance).  We put stars on a gigantic flag structure that name various people living and not, who have served the military and who are part of our school community in one way or another.  Our chorus and band show off their great skills and sing or play patriotic songs.  It always makes me cry!  This year I feel extra excited about the chorus because my oldest daughter will be a part of the chorus (she's old enough now).  Each class creates letters to the veterans.  They are given at random to the veterans in envelopes, one older class letter and one younger class letter are incorporated in the envelope.  The attending veterans stand during their military branches song (we clap a lot).  Each attendee's name is called, they go up to get a pin, letter, and they get to place their own star on the giant flag structure.  We have a special guest speaker.  Last year it was a very powerful speaker (Air Force 1st Lt.Alea Nadeem) whose father was from Iraq.  She told her story of her difficult childhood.  She told of how her father kidnapped her and took her to Iraq and how she came to be part of the U.S. Military and now a veteran.  There was not a dry eye in the place!!!

We usually have a flag given to us from someone/somewhere special.  Usually someone serving currently who is connected in some way to our school, sends it.  It gets presented and "flown" by our school's boy/cub scouts.  They do a whole marching thing with the drill commanads.  The entire courtyard where all of the ceremony occurs gets majorly decorated. 

When the ceremony is over our band leader plays Taps.  The veterans stay for a big breakfast that our school and school community supply.  Everyone donates to make sure we have tons of food and drinks for these amazing people who help keep/or helped to keep our country safe and free.  The boy/cub scouts help to serve the food/drinks to the veterans.  While the veterans eat, pictures of the veterans themselves get displayed on a screen in a slideshow format.
 
Thank you to all the veterans!  Our school and school commmunity appreciate you!

In honor of Veterans Day, I have posted a Veterans Day FREEBIE in my TpT store.  Click {HERE} to check it out.  You may also click on the pictures below.

 

 

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