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Neighbors | Abby Slanker.Canfield Village Middle School eighth-grade students presented the colors to start the school’s annual Veterans Day Assembly on Nov. 9.
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Neighbors | Abby Slanker.Canfield Village Middle School eighth-grade student volunteers prepared and executed the school’s annual Veterans Day Assembly, which featured guest speaker Sgt. Robert Suttle of the United States Army, a veteran of the Vietnam War.
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Neighbors | Abby Slanker.Canfield Village Middle School eighth-grader Madison Murphy invited her uncle, Sgt. Robert Suttle of the United States Army, a veteran of the Vietnam War, to serve as guest speaker of the school’s annual Veterans Day Assembly.
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Neighbors | Abby Slanker.As the Canfield Cambiata performed “Salute to Armed Forces” at the Canfield Village Middle School’s annual Veterans Day Assembly, veterans in attendance stood and were recognized when the song from their branch of the military was presented.
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Neighbors | Abby Slanker.A Canfield Village Middle School eighth-grade student spoke at the school’s annual Veterans Day Assembly.
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Neighbors | Abby Slanker.Sgt. Robert Suttle of the United States Army, a veteran of the Vietnam War, served as guest speaker at Canfield Village Middle School ‘s annual Veterans Day Assembly on Nov. 9.
By ABBY SLANKER
Canfield Village Middle School eighth-grade students honored veterans during the school’s annual Veterans Day Assembly on Nov. 9. The volunteer students invited local veterans to attend and were responsible for every aspect of the program, including presenting the colors and welcoming their guests and writing speeches and presenting them to creating the PowerPoint presentation for the program.
The students also invited their guest speaker Sgt. Robert Suttle of the United States Army, a veteran of the Vietnam War.
The students, under the direction of history teachers Mike Kerensky, Jason Jugenheimer and Jared Turocy, worked several hours after school to organize the program, during which students broke down the word veteran to use as an acronym to describe qualities and characteristics all veterans possess.
The students began the program with a welcome to their guests and then the posting of the colors which attendees were asked to stand for and remain standing for the “Pledge of Allegiance.” The National Anthem was then performed by the Canfield Village Middle School Canfield Cambiata, under the direction of CVMS music teacher Tom Scurich.
An eighth-grade student then gave a speech detailing the history of Veterans Day.
Next, the Canfield Cambiata performed “Salute to Armed Forces,” during which veterans in attendance were asked to stand and be recognized when the song from their branch of the military was presented. Each veteran received resounding applause.
In introducing the theme of the assembly, a student explained that the word ‘veterans’ would be broken down into an acronym to describe qualities and characteristics all veterans possess. Each letter in the word was assigned to two students, with the first student reading a quote which applied to the quality or characteristic and the second student expounding on the meaning of the word and how it related to military veterans.
The letter V stood for valor; the letter E stood for expectations; the letter T stood for tradition; the letter E stood for emotions; the letter R stood for respect; the letter A stood for attitude; the letter N stood for nation and the letter S stood for sacrifice.
Sgt. Robert Suttle was then introduced by his niece, Madison Murphy, a CVMS eighth-grader.
Sgt. Suttle told the students he was going to use his time with them to tell them about the great men he served with and the reunions he attends with them today.
“Someone once asked me if I ever think about Vietnam. I said yes, I think about it every day. How can I not think about it? My faith in God got me through it. I am thankful for today and I have learned from the past. As bad as it was in Vietnam, I cannot imagine not meeting the men I served with and having them in my life. We became brothers. We shared, and still share, a bond few can comprehend. Our reunions are emotional, but healing. I now know why men who have been in battle yearn to reunite. These men who suffered and sacrificed were delivered to me by fate and the military. As long as I have memory, I will think of them everyday. God bless them all,” Sgt. Suttle said.
To close the program, a student explained the history and importance of “Taps” while two students took the stage and played “Taps.”