Hall of Heroes and Veterans Day

What a spectacular tribute our Hall of Heroes is to all the family members and friends of BSS students who have served our country.  We received photos of fathers, grandfathers, great-grandfathers, aunts, uncles, cousins and other family members that our students consider to be heroes.  Dozens of photos adorn the walls of the cafeteria, interspersed with flags decorated by our first graders.  These flags are based on the torn paper artwork in I Pledge Allegiance by Bill Martin and Chris Raschka, which we read in library.  Then they designed the flags with Miss Damata in art class, and they really spruce up our Hall and make it so patriotic!

I read the book America's White Table to our 6th graders, which describes the Veterans Day tradition of setting a table for the soldier who did not come home.  This tradition was established after the Vietnam War, when many families were unable to welcome their loved ones home because these soldiers were Prisoners of War or Missing in Action.  Each item in the place setting is a symbol, including the chair that won't be sat in, the overturned glass symboling the meal that won't be eaten, and the red rose that stands for the hope that someday the soldier might return home. It was a solemn book which made us all think about and respect all our Veterans, both living and dead.