Publications & Sites 
Lincolnwood students to honor veterans
Lincolnwood-Rutledge Hall teachers Donna May and Ginny Coleman Kilgallon put the final touches on a bulletin board Oct. 26 at the school honoring veterans. | Stacia Timonere/for Sun-Times Media
Article Extras
Updated: November 8, 2012 2:30PM
LINCOLNWOOD — In the young mind of a child, the significance of Veteran’s Day is sometimes blurred among the various holidays recognized throughout the year like Memorial Day, Columbus Day and Pulaski Day.
Rutledge Hall Principal Jean Weiss is hoping a school-wide Veteran’s Day assembly set for Friday will serve as a reminder to her third-, fourth- and fifth-grade students that the holiday stands for much more than just another day off from school.
The Veteran’s Day assembly will incorporate a community-wide theme with appearances by Mayor Jerry Turry and Police Chief Bob LaMantia, and will honor about 20 Lincolnwood veterans of all ages for their service.
“We’ve also asked some of the younger vets to join us — some of who are friends with some of the younger teachers,” Weiss said.
The Veteran’s Day assembly will be a first at Rutledge Hall.
“We thought, we need to do something to honor our vets and help the kids understand the meaning behind the holiday,” Weiss said. “We don’t think they understand why they have school off that day and why we celebrate it.”
Rutledge Hall teachers are having students get ready for the assembly by asking them to bring in photos of a veteran in their lives and them writing about why they should be recognized.
The photos will be added to several bulletin boards hung around the school that will be decorated to welcome the vets who will visit the school.
The assembly will begin at 9 a.m. with an “honor and thanks” ceremony, followed by speeches from Turry and LaMantia.
Then the veterans will take the stage to share stories from their days in the service with the students.
“We want to show the students that our country has certain ideals and is free country because of the work of these veterans,” Weiss said. “We wouldn’t have it this way if it weren’t for these people.”
The kids will get the chance to show their appreciation for the servicemen with songs and poetry they’re working on that will be performed during the assembly.
