U-46 schools to host special Veterans Day events

For the second year in a row, U-46 schools will be open on Veterans Day, Tuesday, Nov. 11. Schools across the district are holding special Veterans Day events to celebrate and learn more about America's heroes.

• Bartlett Elementary School will host an assembly to honor veterans at 1 p.m. Monday, Nov. 10. Local VFW members will speak and post colors and students will sing patriotic songs and perform Reader's Theater. Following the assembly, veterans will speak in individual classrooms and have a small reception in the Teacher's Lounge after school.

• Bartlett High School will host a veteran's celebration at 8:30 a.m. Tuesday, Nov. 11. As part of the event, Bartlett High School's Ralph Robles, an Army veteran, will read a statement about Veterans Day, Bartlett VFW members will offer a color guard presentation along with a narration to the folding of the American flag.

• Canton Middle School will host a Veterans Day event on Nov. 11 from 9 to 10 a.m. with veterans from Salute, Inc., as well as other veterans in the area. Veterans will also be assigned a classroom in which they will personally speak about their experiences in the military. At 10:40 a.m. on November 10, the school will host a “Duct Tape the Principal to the Wall” fundraiser with the proceeds going to Salute, Inc.

• Centennial Elementary School will have a flag-raising ceremony at 8:45 a.m. Nov. 11.

• Fox Meadow Elementary School students will take part in a variety of classroom activities to honor veterans on Nov. 11. Kindergarten students will use FaceTime to talk with a student's father who is serving near Syria and will write letters to his unit, hear a presentation from another veteran and make handprint American flags. Other grade levels will have veteran guest speakers, make a poster for family and friends who have served in the military, read about the history of Veterans Day, write thank you letters to veterans at Hines Hospital, and perform patriotic music.

• Horizon Elementary invites all area retired and active duty military personnel to their fourth annual Day of Honor at 8 a.m. Monday, Nov. 10. Students will perform a special selection of songs at the assembly and honored guests will visit classrooms to share their stories. Veterans interested in participating should RSVP by calling the Horizon office at (630) 213-5570 to register.

• Ellis Middle School will host a Veterans Day Recognition event on Nov. 11 at 2:45 p.m. The Ellis band will perform and will honor four veterans on staff and parent veterans. There will also be a color guard presentation from the local VFW.

• Laurel Hill Elementary School students in Joan O'Mara's second-grade classroom will write thank-you notes to various veterans in the community. The notes are decorated with colorful symbols of freedom with a handwritten note composed by each student.

• Kenyon Woods Middle School will hold a Veterans Day assembly on Nov. 11 from 9 a.m. to 10 a.m. including performances by the band and choir, an honor guard, and keynote speaker. The winners of the poster contest and Patriotic Pen will also be announced. An Iraq/Afghanistan veteran will speak to AVID students and during social studies, there will be a panel discussion with area veterans who will share their stories and answer questions.

• Kimball Middle School will hold a schoolwide assembly at 2:30 p.m. on Nov. 11 to commemorate Veterans Day. The assembly will include the Kimball band playing patriotic songs, Elgin AMVETS Post 202 Color Guard will present and retire the flag, and local historian Jerry Turnquist will give a presentation on the Elgin Patriotic Memorial Association. In addition, Kimball will “retire” an American flag by turning it over to AMVETS to be properly destroyed.

• Lords Park Elementary will hold a flag-raising ceremony at 8:15 a.m. on Nov. 11. At 9 a.m. intermediate students will attend a short assembly and then speak with veterans visiting their classrooms. Participating veterans will be honored with a lunch. Gerry Paulsen, one of the veterans participating, has been selected to be knighted by the Order of St. George Grand Priory of Canada and the America's for his contributions to humanity, including his Boots and Hooves program serving disabled veterans.

• Prairieview Elementary School will host a Veterans Day Ceremony at 9 a.m. on Nov. 11. Cub Scouts and Girl Scouts will participate in a flag folding ceremony with a veteran.

• Spring Trail Elementary School will hold a Veterans Day Assembly at 1 p.m. on Nov. 11 in the gym. The Girl Scouts will present the colors, students will sing, veterans will be recognized for their service, several veterans will speak, and the winners of the school's essay contest will read their speeches. The essay is about “How I Serve My Country, Community, or Family.” Several veterans will visit classrooms.

• Streamwood High School will host a special Veterans Day event at 1 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 9. Pillars of Honor, Inc. will bring their traveling model of the World War II Memorial Monument. U.S. History students and student volunteers will be at the presentation. It is open to all veterans and the public and admission is free. For more information, visit www.pillarsofhonor.org. On Nov. 11, from 8:35 a.m. to 10:30 a.m., students will hear from Afghanistan and Iraq Army and Marine veterans. Throughout the week, students will participate in various lessons about veterans. In AP Literature & Composition, students will select and research iconic photos from war of soldiers, writing a narrative through the soldier's perspective. Students in other classes will be writing letters to veterans after participating in a short lesson.

• Sycamore Trails Elementary School will host a Veterans Day assembly on Friday, Nov. 14 from 9 to 10 a.m.