43
Middle school students honor veterans
Photo
Veterans attending the Canfield Village Middle School’s Veterans Day program were asked to stand and be recognized when their military branch song was played during Armed Forces on Parade.
Photo
Ensign Jeff Emerick was the guest speaker during Canfield Village Middle School’s Veterans Day program Nov. 11.
Photo
Neighbors | Abby Slanker.Seventh- and eighth-grade student volunteers prepared and executed the Canfield Village Middle School’s Veterans Day program Nov. 11.
By ABBY SLANKER
Seventh- and eighth-grade students at Canfield Village Middle School honored veterans during their annual Veterans Day program Nov. 11.
The volunteer students invited local veterans to attend and were responsible for each aspect of the program, from writing speeches to gat hering pictures to creating the PowerPoint presentation.
According to Jo Taylor, Canfield Village Middle School seventh- and eighth-grade principal, the students spent hours after school preparing for the event.
“Each of the students involved were volunteers and they put the program together in its entirety, with the exception of getting the guest speaker. They spent hours organizing and preparing everything after school,” Taylor said.
The students began the program with the posting of the colors by Haley Myers and Kerra Loomis, followed by the Pledge of Allegiance led by Krista Kollat and the national anthem performed by Kailey Love.
The opening of the program was presented by Alyssa Kerensky and Sophie Brunet. The students then played Armed Forces on Parade and asked any veterans in the audience to stand and be recognized when their military branch song was played.
Kollat read the introduction to the poem “The Old Liberators” by Robert Hedin, which Lexi Zoldan read with music playing in the background.
Marc Pupino, Canfield Village Middle School music teacher, led a brass quintet which played patriotic songs, including “When Johnny Comes Marching Home,” during the program.
The students then focused on the strengths of a soldier. Natalie Zinni provided the introduction, while Patrick Varley spoke on physical strength. Kara Rothbauer spoke on mental strength, Brittany Hoon spoke on emotional strength and Karina Kennedy spoke on spiritual strength.
Loomis had the honor to introduce the program’s guest speaker, Ensign Jeff Emerick. He gave the students and their guests an idea of his service experience in the Navy. He told them what life was like on an air craft carrier, mentioning there are ice cream machines, a ship’s mall, a convenience store, ATMs and they now have phones to call home.
“Those phones are a humongous morale booster for sailors,” Emerick said.
He said he remembers sailing the North Atlantic with huge waves crashing over the deck and he mentioned that the camaraderie is the biggest thing soldiers miss when their service is over.
“Soldiers miss sitting around with their buddies telling sea stories,” Emerick said.
Emerick also gave the audience an idea of his deployments, including to Iraq, where he was a member of the Civil Affairs Battalion and than again to Iraq where he was stationed on an oil platform.
He concluded his speech by stating he loves his job.
“Some may ask ‘Why the military?’” Emerick said. “I ask you ‘Why not?’ It’s a great job. God bless America.”
Kamlie Beshara read “A Soldier’s Prayer for His Family” and Mia Battaglia and Samantha Armstrong sang “Proud to Be An American.” Allison Fabry and Gianna D’Apolito read the program’s closing remarks, after which “Taps” was played to signal the end of the program.