Plum School District celebrated Veterans Day with a virtual program, various activities
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With not having guests in buildings due to covid-19, Plum School District students found different ways to honor the military’s men and women on Veterans Day.
The high school honored veterans throughout the day on Nov. 11 via virtual ceremony. Principal Joe Fishell and cadets from the Plum Air Force Junior ROTC program participated.
Fishell said it’s important to remember those honored are “grandfathers, grandmothers, moms and dads, brothers and sisters, aunts and uncles, cousins, friends and neighbors.”
“These are the people we think of on Veterans Day and why we should hold it so dear,” he said. “Today, we take time out of our busy scheduled to stop and thank the men and women who have served and sacrificed for our freedom.”
There was a moment of silence, posting of the colors, the national anthem and taps was played.
A video of the ceremony is posted on the district’s website, pbsd.net.
“The programs to honor our veterans are a critical part of the educational process,” Superintendent Brendan Hyland said. “There is no doubt that reading, writing and arithmetic are important. But, teaching our students to honor and respect those who have sacrificed to provide each of us the freedom to live our lives in peace is the very least we can do. Those who serve and have served our nation are special people, and we want our students to always remember them.”
Center Elementary students wrote thank-you letters to veterans of school families. They also worked on related videos including singing the song “See the Veteran.”
One family has a member stationed in Kuwait. A care package and thank-you art projects will be sent to that person.
Plum teachers posted photos on their Twitter page of Center Elementary students holding flags and wearing red, white and blue.
Center 4th graders appreciate our veterans! pic.twitter.com/tnMhy2LSB4
— Plum Teachers (@PlumTeachers) November 11, 2020
Pivik Elementary families were invited to create a slide to honor a veteran in their family.
Those slides will be combined to form the district’s virtual Veterans Day program. Teachers were encouraged to invite a student’s veteran to join their class through Google Meet to discuss their experience while serving the country.
Holiday Park Elementary paid tribute to veterans with a pre-recorded honor involving the school’s band, strings and chorus. A Google slide honor show will accompany the recording. Wednesday was also deemed Red, White and Blue Day at the school.
Oblock Junior High honored veterans who have served by identifying various conflicts and wars. A gallery was established where students read and reviewed information as they transitioned through hallways.
Ed Gage, commander of Plum American Legion Post 980, said the district has had great Veterans Day programs in the past, and understands why there were changes this year.
Gage, 74, served in the Army from 1966 through 1972 with two years of active duty, two years of active reserves and two years of inactive reserves.
He reached the rank of specialist fourth class in the third infantry division.
Gage said his favorite time in the district was when he talked before his grandson’s class at Pivik Elementary.
“I thought it was a very good thing that they put on last year,” Gage said. “This year is a little different because of the coronavirus, but that’s understandable.”
Jeff Pope, 80, served as petty officer first class and engineman in the Navy from 1957 to 1968. He went through three tours of duty in Vietnam.
He spoke with Plum elementary students in previous Veterans Day programs about his military experience.
“They asked some very good questions, pointed questions, and they wanted to know what it was all about,” said Pope, senior vice commander at Post 980. “It made me feel good because so many kids don’t know what war is about. It made me feel good they had these questions.”
Pope said school districts and municipalities would benefit from more programs with current and former soldiers.
“It’s a sorry fact that the schools really don’t observe veterans here that often,” Pope said. “We do a lot of things in the community here, but the borough seems to pass over us.”
The district operates in a hybrid model with students split into groups with in-person classes a few days a week and online learning on the off days.
Hyland believes the changes made due to the pandemic, including those for Veterans Day, might instill a deeper appreciation for how things were pre-covid.
“Like everything else this year, we are finding new ways to do traditional things,” Hyland said. “Honestly, it is not the same. We miss our kids.
“Maybe it is a good reminder to all of us not to take for granted that before this virus we had a very special thing and didn’t recognize it. Maybe it takes losing it for a while to make us appreciate what we had.
“If we don’t honor and respect those who leave their families, put their lives on the line for us, and who run toward danger instead of away from it, how will kids learn to do the same. Living in a representative democracy is a privilege, and our students need to learn that it sometimes takes sacrifice to keep it moving forward. That is why it is so critical that we honor our veterans, not only today but every day.”