With students now in school on Veterans Day on Monday, November 11, a wide variety of events have been planned throughout the school district to honor veterans and teach students about the importance of the holiday.
While the list below is not a complete list of activities and events taking place at our schools, all schools will be supplementing their regular instruction on Veterans Day with lessons that honor and celebrate veterans.
Elementary Schools
Osceola Elementary School
Classrooms at Osceola Elementary are scheduled to bring in guest speakers.
Ketterlinus Elementary School
Ketterlinus will be doing a fundraiser for the “Home for Heroes” Program.
South Woods Elementary School
South Woods creates a veteran wall in its hallways each year to recognize family and friends who served or have served in the Armed Forces.
Hickory Creek Elementary School
Hickory Creek creates a Veteran Wall of Recognition in its main hall. The school chorus also hosts a Veterans Day performance. All service men and women who are a part of the Hickory Creek community are invited to the performance. Light refreshments are also served.
PVPV-Rawlings Elementary School
PVPV-Rawlings’ Veterans Day events include:
- Instruction on the branches of the military
- Guest speakers (parents) that are in the military or have served come to classrooms
- Making cards and writing letters to veterans
- Themed art projects (service men/women, branches of military, patriotic, poppies)
- 1st graders completing a project where they interview an armed forces member, complete a template with information, and add a photo or drawing of their person. The front hallways are decorated with red, white, and blue where the projects are displayed.
Wards Creek Elementary School
Wards Creek will have its 2nd Annual Veterans Day Parade from 8:45am-9:45am on Friday, November 8th. Veterans and their families are invited to walk around the bus loop while all the Warrior family is dressed in red, white, and blue. The school’s PTO then invites the veterans to our courtyard for refreshments.
A photo will be taken from the rooftop of a portable classroom of students spelling out U.S.A. in red, white, and blue.
K-8 Academies
Patriot Oaks Academy
Liberty Pines Academy
This year will be our 16th annual Liberty Parade where we cater a continental breakfast for our local Veterans and then celebrate them through our presentation of all students singing a variety of songs to them directly one grade level at a time. We will end the celebration with all 1,800 students singing “God Bless the USA” by Lee Greenwood. It is a wonderful event. We also have a bulletin board with our staff and family pictures of those who have served or our currently serving.
Pine Island Academy
A Veterans Day Concert will be held on November 7 at 6:30 p.m.
Middle Schools
Alice B. Landrum Middle School
Landrum will be having a special luncheon for veterans who work at the school. The morning announcements will also include a Veterans Day commemoration.
Gamble Rogers Middle School
Social studies classes at Gamble Rogers will show a brief video, complete a “Kahoot,” and then have students write letters to soldiers. The “Hugs for Soldiers” organization will send the letters to soldiers overseas. Students are also given the option to write their letter to a veteran in their own life.
The school will also make a video of students thanking veterans which will be shared with the V.F.W. near the school.
Pacetti Bay Middle School
Veterans Day events at Pacetti Bay will include:
- NJHS members will be dropping artwork at the Clyde E. Lassen Veterans Home.
- Classroom instruction with veteran stories and district curriculum
- A “Wall of Veterans”
Fruit Cove Middle School
Fruit Cove’s Veterans Day events include:
- Reading about Veterans Day and creating a news report about the origins of Veterans Day and the reasons it is celebrated.
- Showing a video from the approved curriculum
- Completing an escape room about Veterans Day
- School-wide, student-led, door decorating contest honoring veterans
High Schools
Tocoi Creek High School
On October 25, during the last home football game at Tocoi Creek, past and current military members were recognized with a special moment of silence, and an honorary flag raising by a military member.
Creekside High School
Creekside High School will host a luncheon for its staff members who are veterans. Student clubs will also create personalized cards for staff members who are veterans. In additional, the school’s news crew will run a clip recognizing and thanking veterans for their service.
Ponte Vedra High School
On Friday, November 8, Ponte Vedra High School is hosting its campus veteran employees for lunch and creating signage for their classroom doors.
Also, on Monday, November 11, staff and students may participate in a dress-up day where everyone on campus is encouraged to wear red, white, and blue or shirts of their favorite armed service.
Allen D. Nease High School
Nease High School’s Veterans Day events include:
- The NJROTC hosting a Veterans Appreciation Lunch on November 7 in the NJROTC Conference Room.
- Small flags on display in the front of the school. The JROTC will help with set up and take down.
- A “WIRED TV” production featuring the veterans who work at Nease.
- A Veterans Day display set up in the media center.