This Veterans Day, Pine View students and staff celebrated the U.S. veterans that are closest to us. In his message to all students and staff, Principal Dr. Stephen Covert mentioned one of his family members. “One of my great uncles served as an airman, and he jumped into Normandy on D-Day,” he said. His great uncle is one of the many veterans that were celebrated today. According to Covert, nearly 120 veterans were being honored with gift bags from Pine View today.
Also in Covert’s morning message was a brief history of Veterans day. He discussed how it was previously Armistice Day, but after WWII, it became Veterans Day. He mentioned a long list of the battles that some veterans bravely fought in.
Pine View prepared many gifts to make veterans feel welcome and respected on this special day. The faculty committee in charge of the Veterans Day celebration consisted of English teacher Blake Wiley, admissions/ESE secretary Carole McLaughlin, and administrative assistant Denise Valentine, and the funding was provided by the Student Advisory Council (SAC). Wiley understands the importance of Veteran’s Day, since, in Canada, where he’s from, Veteran’s Day was a “bigger thing.” He has a flag from WWI, which his students face during the Pledge of Allegiance, along with other regular and larger flags.
A group of seniors led by Class of 2021 SAC Representative William Vest prepared gift bags. They also handed out poppies, a type of flower, in honor of the poem “In Flanders Fields,” written by a Canadian doctor in World War I, who, amidst war surgery, talked about poppies growing as they die.
Elementary schoolers made thank you cards, and middle schoolers wrote poems for the veterans. This year, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, veterans were not able to visit campus for celebratory activities. Instead, gift items were given to students to be delivered to the veterans in their lives. Many students wore red, white, and blue, while others wore Veterans Day T-Shirts.
Story by seventh-grade journalism student Liam Dingman
Additional reporting by seventh-grade journalism students Anna Kim and Camilla Famiglio
Photos by seventh-grade journalism students Gabrielle Mussey, Samuel Wang and Camilla Famiglio, twelfth-grade Yearbook staffer Areej Memon, and journalism advisor Chris Lenerz