For some students, Veteran’s Day might just be a day off of school. But for fifth graders at Johnson Elementary, there’s a connection they won’t soon forget. As part of a Social Studies project, the students got to know the history of local veterans up close and personal. 

 

In fact, some were surprised to find that they had veterans right in their own family. 

 

What started as a project to collect information about veterans in the community and in the students’ families ended up as an act of gratitude beyond what any of them thought possible. 

 

“The students talked to their friends and family members to find out if there were any veterans in their own personal history,” said Taya Trent, Fifth Grade Teacher and organizer of the project. “They collected photographs and personal items that tell the veterans’ stories and we created a Veteran’s Wall right when you walk into Johnson Elementary. It was really neat to see how the students connected the historical events we studied in class to the time served by the veterans."  

 

There were also connections among the different generations as students shared stories of parents, grandparents, great-grandparents and more who had served in the military. 

 

The Veteran’s Wall will be on display at Johnson Elementary throughout the month of November to honor and celebrate the contributions local veterans have made to the community and the nation.