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Elementary students honor Veterans Day
Elementary students honor Veterans Day
CUDAHY (WITI) -- Monday’s Veterans Day Ceremony at Park View Elementary in Cudahy started with the National Anthem and the Pledge of Allegiance, but in actuality the celebration started weeks before in the classrooms.
“We think it's important for our students to understand Veterans Day, not just be here for a program for one day. They need to understand what it means for our country and what it means to them individually,” said Lori Esenberg, the principal of Park View Elementary.
Throughout the days before, students learned about veterans and Veterans Day. Then on Monday, Veterans Day itself, they shared what they learned with their school and with several veterans who were invited to attend. While the younger grades expressed their gratitude and new-found knowledge in songs or poems, the older kids presented research they had done on several topics related to Veterans Day. For one 6th grader in particular, Bryant Alicea, who had never before met a veteran, these lessons left an especially lasting impressing.
“I can become what that hero is,” said Alicea of what he learned, “I can live through what they lived through and truly experience what has happened to them.”
Alicea, along with his classmates, is also looking forward to passing those lessons on to even younger generations.
“They might think a hero is like superman, or incredible hulk. Those are just fictional characters,” Alicea said when asked what he would tell younger kids, “A true hero is someone who sacrifices their life, for those who need a hero the most."
“Our veterans are everything to us because they fought for our freedom,” said 6th grader Autumn Cabagua.
“I give them all my respect because they do everything and they made us what we are today and I think that's just very important,” said 6th grader Annie Rudi.
Veterans who attended the day’s ceremony said they could tell that these students understood what the day was about and said that understanding showed in the students' level of respect during it all.
“It's amazing that these kids understand the concept,” said Gary Haase a veteran who attended the ceremony Monday.