Margaretta essays express admiration

CASTALIA — Margaretta Schools honored veterans, their families and students through its Veterans Day celebrations. Last week, the district's younger students at the elementary school recognized those who took the oath to serve by inviting them to a patriotic musical performance. The school also collected a donation for the VFW and did a candy drive. The middle and high school students invited local veterans, their families and local veteran organizations into the school for a morning recognition. Before making their way into the school gym for a third annual recognition, the veterans were invited to a breakfast with their families. "Veterans Day is more than a date on the calendar," high school principal Jennifer Theis said. "It is a reminder of the strength, unity and gratitude that binds us as Americans." Lessons from service After a few words for Theis and a performance of the national anthem, the assistant principal, Mike Roberts, introduced the first speaker of the morning, Brad Wilson, who shared his lessons from service. Wilson graduated from Western Reserve and then the University of Toledo before serving in the Army and the Army National Guard. He completed tours in Iraq and is the recipient of multiple honors for his service. While serving, it was Wilson's job to look for stockpiles of weapons and break up roadways and bridges to disrupt transportation. He was also instructed to give presentations to those he described as VIPs. Going into the presentations, he was not told who the individuals would be, but once standing face to face, he discovered he would be speaking with high-up officials in the military. The message of this story was to instruct students to always be prepared to do their best because they do not know who will be watching. Another lesson for the students comes from the mindset he kept while serving. Wilson described the amount of trash and poor infrastructure that surrounded him. This made him realize someone else always had it worse than he did. To close, Wilson gave the audience three more ideas to keep in mind: • Tell your story so others can't • Be a strong leader • Take charge of your situation Wilson said there are not a lot of communities that "do this kind of thing." "It's nice to see the school, the community members still come together to honor service," Wilson said. "We can't forget service. If we start forgetting, then we don't remember sacrifices that were made and we don't remember how we got to where we are from where we came from." Awarding young patriots Also in attendance with veterans were representatives from local veteran organizations, including those from the American Legion Post 83, Daughters of the American Revolution, VFW Post 2529 and several others. Several of these local organizations, like the Daughters of the American Revolution and the VFW Post 2529, offer opportunities for students to express their patriotism through contests. These contests are open to local students from Margaretta and other surrounding districts. Representatives from the Daughters of the American Revolution recognized Lillian Kimball, a sophomore, as the winner of its essay contest. Her submission won her $100 from the organization. In her essay, Kimball wrote about her sixth great-grandfather and his connection to the American Revolution. She has spent three years researching her family and its ties to the country. The VFW also awarded several students for their participation in essay contests. The middle school students participated in a written contest, and the high school students participated in an audio contest. In the middle school level competition, Margaretta was the only school with students who participated in the contest. Divided among one third-place winner, one second-place winner and 10 students tied for first place, the VFW distributed $5,700. In the high school contest, the first-place prize went to a student in Huron, but Margaretta is home to the second and third-place winners. Hunter Grahl was awarded $2,000 for his second-place standing and Kimball was once again called to the podium and awarded $1,000 for her third-place ranking. Winning "means a lot to me because both essays were personal to my family," Kimball said. Kimball enjoys studying genealogy and going through her family records, which she was able to incorporate into her contest submissions. She also highlighted her demonstration of patriotism by placing flags for veterans in local cemeteries. "I have so many family members that have served and if it weren't for my family members or any veterans, we would not be here today," Kimball said. Other ways the school celebrated and recognized Veterans Day during the event: • A flag-folding ceremony and an explanation of what each fold represents • A performance from the school choir • A performance of the Armed Forces Melody by the school choir • A moment of silence in memory of Charles Adkins, a veteran and graduate of Margaretta Schools, who was killed in 2011 while serving in Afghanistan • Playing of "Taps" The Veterans Day event is a way to honor those who served and create pride for what they have done while also highlighting students' work in the essay contests they participated in, according to Theis.