By Martha Barkdale
and Mary Moore
Local students at Brooks Elementary and Fayette Middle took time out yesterday to honor local Veterans on their national holiday.
Despite rainy weather, Brooks Elementary students from kindergarten to fifth grade marched on in their eighth annual Veteran’s Day parade.
The students usually march from the elementary school through the middle of town, but this year the school held the festivities indoors.
Inclement weather wasn’t the only challenge the school overcame to hold this year’s Veteran’s Day events.
“Because of the current economic situation, cuts in the school’s transportation budget put the performances of the Sandy Creek High Air Force JROTC Color Guard and the Whitewater High marching band in jeopardy,” said Melinda Berry-Dreisbach with the Fayette County School System.
Representatives from the school turned up to a Brooks Town Council meeting to ask community leaders for help.
“One by one, out of the goodness of their souls, these individual councilmen signed over their quarterly paychecks to Brooks Elementary. It was a spiritual moment indeed,” explained Brooks Elementary Pre-K teacher and event organizer Dana Sams.
“If you don’t think that Mayberry, USA exists, then you need to come to Brooks, Georgia and visit our community school. This is America at its finest,” she remarked.
In addition to the parade, over 100 local vets turned up to a breakfast and picnic lunch provided by the school, as well as a special assembly. At 11:11, veterans, faculty, and students participated in a moment of silence to honor and remember all who have served.
The students and staff of Fayette Middle School honored America’s veterans Wednesday with a moving program that combined patriotic music, speeches and visual displays.
Language arts teacher David Franklin was the master of ceremonies at the Veterans Day program in the school gym. Honored guests included students’ parents and grandparents--both veterans and active duty--and veterans from the community.
Lisa Heald, a retired senior chief hospital corpsman from the Navy, talked about her career and all the benefits of military service. Describing the Navy as “an awesome first job,” she told the middle schoolers about some of her duties. She said she had worked in conditions ranging from 70 degrees below zero in Norway to 110 degrees at 9 a.m. on Okinawa. Heald, now a student at Chattahoochee Tech, said she wouldn’t trade her plus years in the Navy for anything.
She ended her speech with the rallying cry from President Kennedy’s inaugural speech, “Ask not what your country can do for you--ask what you can do for your country.”
Retired Gen. Williams J. Livsey told the audience that America has problems just now, “but we’ve always had problems. We’ll be just fine.”
He outlined the four C’s that he said he expected from his troops and that are important for success in all phases of life: competence, candor, commitment and courage.
Then Livsey showed courage himself and opened the floor to questions from the students. Shy at first, the youngsters warmed to the opportunity, asking Livsey what kinds of guns he had used and what war was like.
The General closed his speech by reciting “In Flanders Fields” and telling the students that he had confidence their generation “would not break faith” with those who had died for our country.
The Fayette Middle School Chorus, Band and Orchestra performed patriotic tunes, and there were few dry eyes in the audience when the band played “Abide With Me.”
A video presentation featuring portraits of students’ and faculty’s family members who have and are currently serving drew wild applause. Then the chorus performed a medley of songs representing each branch the service and veterans in the audience stood when their song was played.
Fayette Middle School principal Sharlene Patterson thanked the vets for their service and invited them to a reception in the school media center. She said her own father, a native of the Philippines, joined the Navy so his children could be American citizens.
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