Students learn about those who served

WESTFALL — Last week Delaware Valley Elementary School hosted a weeklong program “Thanks to veterans” in honor of Veterans Day. Principal Sonya Cole asked students to sponsor a veteran and accompany them to school for a TV interview. Students had their parents make the arrangements for this project. The interviews were broadcast on the school’s student staffed, DVE TV station as well as a station in Port Jervis, New York. The principal idea of the event was to have more understanding of the role members of the armed forces play in keeping freedom and democracy safe in the U.S. “The students were very thankful to honor the veterans for what they did for our nation,” said Cole. “The students understood that if the veterans didn’t fight for our country, we wouldn’t have the freedoms we have today. For instance, Pakistan had a democracy but doesn’t anymore. Women in some of the countries like Pakistan can’t vote, get better jobs, go to school beyond the elementary grades, and have to remain veiled. The girls especially were thankful for the fact that in America women have freedoms which we take for granted.” After the interviews, the veterans and their student sponsors were treated to a group of students, led by the school’s music teacher, who sang patriotic songs. They were then treated to coffee, cake, and refreshments before the students had to go back to class and their honored guests went on to their own daily activities. “It seems like a whole generation of America’s kids, especially those in their late teens to mid-twenties, have lost sight of all our veterans have done to keep our nation safe,” Cole told the Courier. “Maybe this will help the younger children understand the sacrifices our soldiers have made over time,” Cole said as she headed off to take care of other school duties.