Words such as brave, strong and freedom, follow “Dear Veteran,” on letters written by Lost Creek 3rd graders. Most importantly, they all say “Thank you.”
For the last several years, students in Ms. Augustine and Ms. Paprocki’s classes have written and drawn pictures to veterans in recognition of Veterans Day.
“We talk about what a veteran is and then brainstorm some things we may want to say to a veteran. Then they write a letter using those ideas. The letters are then sent to actual veterans,” Ms. Augustine said.
More than 100 letters have been written. And it’s not one-way communication.
“Some students, or myself, will get letters or emails back from the veterans we reached out to,” Ms. Augustine said. “Some have even gotten trinkets in the past such as medals, pens, etc.”
The positive feedback to Ms. Augustine and Ms. Paprocki’s efforts is felt amongst those who have returned each year to receive and reply to letters. And for Ms. Augustine, it’s something she looks forward to each November. “It's had much more of an impact than I had ever imagined it would, and is probably my favorite project we do all year.”
To read a sample of the letters and see drawings from the class, visit our gallery on Facebook, here.