The Oneida Daily Dispatch (Oneida, NY)
Veterans teach students life lessons
Fourth grade students at North Broad Elementary have been learning all month about the various wars that local veterans have fought in. Recently, they got to explain the history and the importance of Veterans Day to the whole school.
Principal Eric Coriale spoke to the veterans on the ways that they demonstrate the characteristics of a hero: Courage, Attitude, Perseverance, Empathy and Strength (CAPES), a theme that has been highlighted at the school this year.
Students Kennedy Curro and Julanne Dygert spoke about their excitement about interviewing their grandfathers at the event. They have looked up to them for years and were glad to hear about their time in the service.
Nick Fedchenko, cofounder of the Rally! Veterans in Youth Sports program, reminded students
that Veterans Day is not just a day to sleep in and play video games; it’s about honoring veterans.
After the assembly, fourth grade students interviewed the veterans about which branch they served in; were they drafted or did they enlist; where did they travel during their time in the service; would they recommend the service to young people.
When the interviews were over, students and veterans placed sticky notes on a world map to represent where the veterans had served.
Fourth grade teacher Jennifer Armlin said, “The amount of learning that went on at North Broad today was amazing. From character education, to geography, to history, to heroism, our students learned from some of the best teachers today, our local veterans.”