EPCHS NHS Honors Veterans the 2020 Way

Chicago IL

11 November, 2020

10:14 AM

Description

Each year, Evergreen Park Community High School's National Honor Society hosts a Veterans Breakfast to honor local residents who served in the military. This year, due to COVID-19, that could not happen. The NHS students, along with sponsor Mr. Ben Nesler, wanted to continue with some form of recognition for the special residents and decided to honor them in a different way. Students used the list of veterans that attended last year's breakfast and wrote approximately 70 letters to be mailed out. In their letters, the students thanked the veterans for their service to our country. They also honored veterans by placing signs in their yards. The signs read, "Evergreen Park Community High School National Honor Society Salutes the Veteran that Lives Here." "Our students wanted to acknowledge the EP residents who attended the breakfast last year and also those veteran guests who lived outside of the village yet attended as relatives of students and staff members," said Mr. Nesler. "I think they came up with some very creative and heart-felt tributes and I am proud of them." In addition, the school choir typically sings an armed forces medley at the Veterans Breakfast. This year, the choir students joined forces with the Color Guard to assemble a special video presentation that the veterans can watch safely at home. "They have special access to this performance this Veterans Day morning," said Mrs. Kazin. "The public will be able to enjoy the presentation as part of our Winter Concert, which will be free to access via the school's YouTube channel in December." Mr. Nesler wants to thank everyone who helped with this project. "From the administrative assistants who helped by printing labels and mailing the envelopes to the building security staff who brought finished letters to his classroom after remote learners dropped them off, and to Activities Director Amy Kazin who orchestrated the choir tribute and helped facilitate all of the moving parts of the various tributes."