thedrifter
05-13-09, 07:44 AM
Fourth-graders read essays at Adopt-a-Kid, Adopt-a-Vet ceremony
By APRIL TOLER, DAILY SUN
THE VILLAGES — Fourth-graders at The Villages Charter Elementary School are accustomed to seeing action heroes such as Spider-Man and Batman on the big screen.
On Tuesday, the students had a chance to spend some time with their real-life heroes: local veterans.
“There’s Batman, Superman and the Hulk,” student Kyle Fox read aloud from his essay about meeting local veteran Harold Sievers. “But these heroes are all fake. On March 24, 2009, I had the opportunity to meet a real hero.”
Veterans and local fourth-graders gathered Tuesday for the eighth annual Adopt-a-Kid, Adopt-a-Vet ceremony at Veterans’ Memorial Park in The Villages.
During the ceremony, seven students read aloud essays they had written about the time they spent speaking with local veterans during the Adopt-a-Kid, Adopt-a-Vet program.
With the veterans dressed in their military uniforms and the students dressed in their school uniforms, the words of the Pledge of Allegiance and the national anthem resounded stirringly throughout the park as both young and old celebrated our country and those who have fought for it.
Fourth-grader Haley Mariner was one of the students chosen to read her essay after meeting with veteran Jim Skinner, who served four years in the Marines.
No stranger to the military — Haley’s grandfather also served in the military — Haley is well aware of the sacrifices made by soldiers. However, with a grandfather living in another state, the young student said it was nice to listen to some of the military stories she doesn’t always get to hear.
“I thought it was really cool, because my grandfather is a veteran, too, but he never got to share a lot of his stories,” she said donning a Marine’s baseball cap and some athletic medals given to her by Skinner. “Talking to Mr. Skinner gave me inspiration, because I love veterans.”
Another student who was moved by the experience of sitting down with a veteran was Cheyenne Aching, who read her essay about veteran Paul Sorse.
Although nervous to be speaking in front of so many people, Cheyenne stood proudly as she described Sorse’s extensive military career in the Marines and listed all the things she learned from him.
“It was really fun,” she said. “He had some really interesting things to talk about.”
One of the lessons reiterated Tuesday by Cheyenne and her fellow students was the importance of interacting with veterans and understanding their significance in the story of our country’s freedom.
“The citizens of the United States of America should be proud of our veterans, because without them we would not have had anybody to protect and fight for us in times of war,” she told the gathering. “I had a wonderful experience speaking to Mr. Sorse, and I learned that veterans are important.”
For Sorse, although hearing Cheyenne’s speech for the first time was very moving, he wasn’t surprised at how much the youngster picked up after just meeting with him for just a few hours.
“It’s amazing the questions they ask you,” he said of the group of children he met. “Their minds are very sharp.”
While most students can learn about our nation’s military history and the wars that have been fought from a history book, Sorse said programs like Adopt-a-Kid, Adopt-a-Vet are important because they allow children to learn firsthand about our nation’s military straight from the mouths of those who have served.
“We just want to bring a little knowledge to them,” he said.
April Toler is a reporter with the Daily Sun. She can be reached at 753-1119, ext. 9013, or april.toler@thevillagesmedia.com.
Ellie
By APRIL TOLER, DAILY SUN
THE VILLAGES — Fourth-graders at The Villages Charter Elementary School are accustomed to seeing action heroes such as Spider-Man and Batman on the big screen.
On Tuesday, the students had a chance to spend some time with their real-life heroes: local veterans.
“There’s Batman, Superman and the Hulk,” student Kyle Fox read aloud from his essay about meeting local veteran Harold Sievers. “But these heroes are all fake. On March 24, 2009, I had the opportunity to meet a real hero.”
Veterans and local fourth-graders gathered Tuesday for the eighth annual Adopt-a-Kid, Adopt-a-Vet ceremony at Veterans’ Memorial Park in The Villages.
During the ceremony, seven students read aloud essays they had written about the time they spent speaking with local veterans during the Adopt-a-Kid, Adopt-a-Vet program.
With the veterans dressed in their military uniforms and the students dressed in their school uniforms, the words of the Pledge of Allegiance and the national anthem resounded stirringly throughout the park as both young and old celebrated our country and those who have fought for it.
Fourth-grader Haley Mariner was one of the students chosen to read her essay after meeting with veteran Jim Skinner, who served four years in the Marines.
No stranger to the military — Haley’s grandfather also served in the military — Haley is well aware of the sacrifices made by soldiers. However, with a grandfather living in another state, the young student said it was nice to listen to some of the military stories she doesn’t always get to hear.
“I thought it was really cool, because my grandfather is a veteran, too, but he never got to share a lot of his stories,” she said donning a Marine’s baseball cap and some athletic medals given to her by Skinner. “Talking to Mr. Skinner gave me inspiration, because I love veterans.”
Another student who was moved by the experience of sitting down with a veteran was Cheyenne Aching, who read her essay about veteran Paul Sorse.
Although nervous to be speaking in front of so many people, Cheyenne stood proudly as she described Sorse’s extensive military career in the Marines and listed all the things she learned from him.
“It was really fun,” she said. “He had some really interesting things to talk about.”
One of the lessons reiterated Tuesday by Cheyenne and her fellow students was the importance of interacting with veterans and understanding their significance in the story of our country’s freedom.
“The citizens of the United States of America should be proud of our veterans, because without them we would not have had anybody to protect and fight for us in times of war,” she told the gathering. “I had a wonderful experience speaking to Mr. Sorse, and I learned that veterans are important.”
For Sorse, although hearing Cheyenne’s speech for the first time was very moving, he wasn’t surprised at how much the youngster picked up after just meeting with him for just a few hours.
“It’s amazing the questions they ask you,” he said of the group of children he met. “Their minds are very sharp.”
While most students can learn about our nation’s military history and the wars that have been fought from a history book, Sorse said programs like Adopt-a-Kid, Adopt-a-Vet are important because they allow children to learn firsthand about our nation’s military straight from the mouths of those who have served.
“We just want to bring a little knowledge to them,” he said.
April Toler is a reporter with the Daily Sun. She can be reached at 753-1119, ext. 9013, or april.toler@thevillagesmedia.com.
Ellie