Woodland schools thankful for military heroes

Visitors to Woodland Intermediate School can look at a collage of photographs near the main entrance to know how proud student John Westphal is of his parents' Navy service.

"I honor them because they supported the U.S. Navy as medical people helping our country," John wrote of his parents, Michael and Maria Westphal.

Then there's intermediate student Anna Tomsheck, who wrote about "great grandpa" Walter J. Kwiatkowski, who served in the Army from 1940 to 1946.

"He was color blind, so he could detect the camouflage of the German forces," Anna wrote.

John's parents and Anna's great grandfather are among the more than 600 pictures on Woodland's "Hall of Military Heroes." The images and accompanying text are in five schools in Gurnee-based Woodland District 50 and will be on display through Nov. 30.

Designed to coincide with Veterans Day and Thanksgiving, the effort has personal information about the students' family members or others connected to them who are active duty, retired or deceased military personnel.

"It's a way of saying 'thank you,' " said Anne Swanson, assistant superintendent of curriculum, instruction and accountability at Woodland.

Swanson said the text and pictures in the displays at the schools clearly show the children had quality family conversations to gain the necessary information. It ties American history lessons at school with the children's families.

"It's more than an anonymous picture in a text book," Swanson said. "It's a family member or someone you know. It really is just a nice wall of history."

Mary Pellettieri, who works in Woodland Intermediate's front office, and colleague Lori Stark were in charge of assembling the wall in the school for fourth- and fifth-graders.

It's not just teachers and students who enjoy viewing the short stories of those who served the United States on the walls, Pellettieri said.

"Parents that stop in, they look at the wall and the comments are, 'It is so nice to see that you're doing something for our veterans, our soldiers over there.' Everybody just loves it. I must say, the reaction is great," she said.

Swanson said the idea was spawned from a September workshop with the Military Child Education Coalition hosted by the Lake County regional superintendent of schools' office.