Amber Siratt
Kern Valley Sun

In his Veterans Day 2008 Proclamation, President Bush asks Americans to observe Nov. 9 through Nov. 15, as National Veterans Awareness Week with ceremonies acknowledging the bravery and sacrifice of our veterans.  Locally, South Fork Elementary and Middle School students and staff paid tribute to local veterans on Friday, Nov. 7 at the school’s fourth annual veterans appreciation ceremony.

South Fork Union School District Superintendent/Principal Robin Shive welcomed parents and local veterans who joined kindergartners through eighth graders in the middle school gymnasium for the event. “Time and again ordinary people have served our nation in extra ordinary ways so that all Americans can pursue the happiness that our founding fathers envisioned. By their service, they have kept America strong and have protected our way of life for more than two centuries,” said Shive. The NAWS/China Lake Color Guard officially opened the ceremony with their presentation, followed by the National Anthem, Pledge of Allegiance, a moment of silence and the playing of Taps by local resident and Korean War veteran Pete Pappas.  

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Students representing each grade level showed their appreciation to the veterans through performances of patriotic music, speeches, and poetry. First grade students delighted the crowd with their personal responses to “I’m glad I live in America because…I like to play with my dad and my toys; because I like to play football; it’s a free country to do anything that’s allowed; because I get to meet new people.” The audience waved small American flags as students presented moving renditions of “Grand Ole Flag”, “This Land is Your Land” , “The Flag We Love”, “Red, White and Blue”, “Yankee Doodle Boy” and “I’m Proud to be an American.” Together students Jennifer Yule and Bobbie McKim accomplished a spot-on performance of the National Anthem. In her speech titled “What Freedom Means to Me,” middle school student Samantha Carter expressed her reasons of freedom and explained in part, “What freedom means to me is being able to express your own opinions and not worry about what might happen to you.” During the sixth grade student’s performance of “God Bless America,” the audience rose to their feet and sang along. Kindergarten students all dressed alike in red, white and blue tie-dyed T-shirts and held patriotic paper flowers as they sang, “This is America, Our Heart and Soul.” In a touching moment after their performance, the kindergartners walked the aisle between the seated veterans and handed their flower to the guests of honor and said “thank you.”  

Elementary school student Tyler Bernstein, blind since birth, performed a patriotic medley on the keyboard that brought thunderous cheers from the crowd. On a serious, yet powerful note, the eighth grade students recited the Declaration of Independence in unison. The ceremony drew to a close with Zach Heffner and Hayven Bevan who told the true story of Martha Cothren, originally told by Former Arkansas Governor Mike Hukabee at this year’s Republican National Convention. Cothren is a teacher who taught her students that freedom isn’t free by removing the desks in her classroom and explained to her students that the desks would be returned once they could tell her how they earned their desks.  After the students failed to answer correctly, the teacher gave her explanation as 20 veterans carried the desks into her classroom. Cothren told her students that they didn’t have to earn their desks because the veterans “already bought it for you” through their bravery and sacrifice as they served their country.

The event concluded with an emotional tribute to the veterans. As their branch of service song played, each veteran proudly stood as the audience cheered and applauded their service to their country. As the veterans exited the gymnasium, they were greeted by a gracious crowd of students and all in attendance with cheers, thank yous, handshakes and hugs. It was evident that the veterans appreciated the outpouring of gratitude and were so grateful for the efforts of the students and staff of South Fork.