John F. Kennedy once said, “As we express our gratitude to our veterans, we must never forget that the highest appreciation is not to utter words, but to live by them.”
For the past three days, the New Richmond Exempted Village School District has tried to not only speak words of gratitude to our veterans, but honor them in the highest regards for all they have given and are giving for our country’s freedom.
On Wednesday, October 8, Locust Corner Elementary hosted the first of the three elementary school Veteran’s Day Breakfasts -- followed by Monroe Elementary on Thursday and New Richmond Elementary on Friday. Each morning, Veterans were served a breakfast provided by our food services team, had the opportunity to hear a musical number from some of our students, and were entered into a raffle to win gifts and gift cards donated by teachers. Additionally, at each of our three elementary schools, our Vets were entered into a drawing for a pallet board American Flag crafted and donated by Monroe Elementary food services worker, Linda Gilliam. While all of this was enjoyable, the most captivating moments were hearing from our Veterans themselves.
At each school, every Veteran in attendance had the opportunity to share their story of sacrifice. Men and women of young and old proudly stood stating their years of service, their branch of service, and adding personal accounts of our nation's history. Stories ranged from triple Purple Heart recipients to Pearl Harbor survivors to FBI Agents to Military retirees, and so many more.
In addition to the Veteran Day Breakfasts, the New Richmond Middle and High School welcomed Veterans to attend and be honored at an assembly. These assemblies featured a posting of the colors, Patriotic musical selections by our bands and choirs -- including Taps in honor of our fallen soldiers, letter readings from our students to their special Vets in attendance, a reading of the historical significance behind this special day, and more.
NREVSD would like to extend a heart of thankfulness to all the brave men and women who have fought for our freedoms. Though our words of thankfulness will seem to never be enough and our actions of gratitude will always fall short, we say with a humble and sincere heart, thank you.
