Our Stories

Veterans Day Across the School

November 11, 2021 by Ronit Greenstein (Faculty and Staff)

Veterans Day is a cherished tradition in our community, and Milton students across the grades commemorated it in meaningful ways, thanks to thoughtful educators and an engaged community.

Middle school students visited the memorials for World War II, the Korean War, and the Vietnam War. They were struck by the power and poignancy of these sites, reading inscriptions and creating etchings of the names of fallen or missing soldiers. On their visit, students met several veterans who shared how they experienced and connected to the memorials. In their Humanities classes, students will reflect about the experience, the historic and cultural significance of memorials, and the Jewish value of hakarat hatov.

Students in Elementary School and Middle School spoke with veterans from the Air Force, Army, Coast Guard, as well as students at the US Naval Academy. The speakers shared the meaning of Veterans Day to them and other service members. We were proud of our students who asked thoughtful questions and expressed their gratitude to those who served. Special thanks to the veterans who volunteered to speak with our students today: U.S. Air Force Major Reggie Best, U.S. Army Chief Warrant Officer Mark Bailey (Ret.), U.S. Coast Guard Lieutenant Andre Jones, U.S. Air Force Colonel Todd Levine (Ret.), U.S. Air Force Major Kourtney McCary, U.S. Coast Guard Commander Jennifer McKay, and Olivia Shapiro and Ryan Grafman, college juniors at the US Naval Academy.

Third graders also wrote thank you letters to a veteran or active military member in each of the fifty states. Their Veterans Day project provided students the opportunity to honor veterans and service members, and connected to their yearlong States project.

South Campus students made beautiful Hanukkah cards for Jewish American service members. They wrote sweet messages inside the cards such as “Thank you for your service” and “You are a hero” and decorated the cards with their artwork. The school is working with the Jewish Soldiers Project, and the cards will be sent along with care packages to Jewish service members before Hanukkah. After reading books such as Why Do We Celebrate Veterans Day?, Hero Mom, Hero Dad and Veterans-Heroes in our Neighborhood, the children expressed gratitude by creating a big banner to hang outside the classroom that said “Thank you South Campus Veterans!” and decorated it with Israeli and American flags.