KPBSD Honors Veterans

Teachers and students honored our military men and women in a variety of ways on Veteran's Day.

Seward Elementary held its annual Veteran's Day Celebration. The celebration brought together hundreds of veterans, community members, students, and their families. The Seward Senior Center helped to transport veterans to the event.

Fourth and fifth grade students in Carol Boehmer's class at Sterling Elementary gave short presentations about their family members who have, or are currently serving, in the military.

Suzanne Martin, Sterling Elementary kindergarten instructor, had a very special military guest. Mrs. Martin's daughter, Kimberly, is a new veteran of the United States Navy. Miss Martin visited her Mom's kindergarten class and Lora Sterling's first grade class as well. She brought many show and tell items, including her navy uniforms, her medals and letters of commendation, and pictures of the ship she served aboard for a short time, the USS Essex.

Through the hard work and dedication of former head custodian and veteran Steve Wright, K-Beach Elementary invited veterans for a large school-wide assembly. The event gets bigger and more elaborate every year.

Redoubt Elementary staff honored its fellow military staff members by providing them lunch on Veteran's Day. We each honor our veterans and their great sacrifices in our own way. Some choose to do so through large public events, while others find their own special way to pay tribute. Maryvonne Guillemin, at Skyview High School, shared this story:

"Today, my super activity was to speak three languages within one hour. Present were a German exchange student, a Spanish exchange student, an American student who dated a German teen, and a student of Italian descent who dreams of going to Amsterdam. And, me…

Often I look up at the clock and it reads 11:11. That is the moment in time when The Armistice was signed after WWI, and that is the day my grandfather died in the "trenches" because the news (about peace) arrived too late. My mother grew up without her father, and that too was a sacrifice she paid for his valor. My dad fought in WWII, and I heard so many stories, saw so many horrific documentaries and memorials in my childhood. I married a Viet Nam vet. And, after all this history, I can still - in spite of Mussolini, Franco, and Hitler- make amicable conversation and host teens from these countries without putting the blame on their shoulders, without resentment.

Today, on Veterans' Day, I believe I did the right thing in secretly acknowledging the past, honoring my ancestors who fought at war, and mending the present gaping hole that many ignore. I believe it is time to honor the human race –those who died and those still living- and spend more energy in mending, and building, a kinder world.

In our class, for this moment in time, we celebrated more what we have in common than our differences."