Warrenville students will add color to Veterans Day service

The Warrenville Elementary School students walked around the Horse Creek Midland Valley Veterans Park, their hands full of large sheets of paper and colored pencils.

Soon the kids were doing rubbings for a special project that will be completed Nov. 10.

"We're going to have a Veterans Day ceremony," said fifth-grader Khiara Tellez. "We'll put the rubbings on black paper for the assembly."

The colorful rubbings will be placed on walls to greet veterans as they enter the school.

Art teacher Barbara Craig said she was inspired to find a way for the students to participate in the event in a way that would enhance their patriotism and spirit and do artwork at the same time.

"I saw this park, and it was perfect for this," Craig said. "I talked to the students about the art and patriotism and honoring the veterans."

Many of the students have family members who are memorialized at the park.

"This is how they can express how they feel, and it's a chance to make it real for them," Craig said. "This gives them a hands-on understanding, a place we can go to honor the men and women for what they had done for us. The students have done research and an essay, crossing over into areas of social studies, English and art to have a great balance in the project."

Parent-volunteer Kathy Jowers, an artist, was delighted when Craig asked her to join the students for the field trip to the Veterans Park. Jowers assisted her son, Andrew Odom, and his classmate, Brendon Barton.

"I said, 'Oh yeah, I'm down for that,'" Jowers said with a smile. "This is such a good idea, and it's a great way for the kids to get involved. Some of the rubbings will include a Purple Heart, and most of the kids wouldn't have known what it is if they hadn't come here and done this."

Contact Rob Novit at rnovit@aikenstandard.com.