Local schools including A. H. Roberts Elementary, honoring Veterans this week into next, as a way to connect children to those who served.
Librarian Kim Curd said events celebrating the holiday are important because children need to know what veterans sacrificed to appreciate their liberties. Curd said the lessons the children learn from Veterans Day events are not taught in school books.
“When they can see it,” Curd said. “When those ladies and gentlemen come to our school in their uniforms and their able to shake their hand and speak with them just a little.”
Curd said she hopes the children learn to appreciate everything that has been given to them and gain respect for the veterans and their families at the event.
Curd said the children see and speak with the veterans, listening to stories and asking questions. Curd said these interactions make a difference on the children, changing their perspective on the holiday.
Curd said this connection between the children and the veterans makes an impact on the children.
“They’re generally really excited because they’ve seen these guys, ladies, in their uniforms, and just being able to talk to them,” Curd said. “And after it’s over, they will go home and talk to their parents, sometimes they’ll find out things from their parents about grandparents, aunts or uncles that have served.”
Curd said Veterans’ Day events can help deepen familial connections, as the children become more curious about their families’ stories of service. Curd said she is grateful for the veterans that make events like this possible.
“They’ve gone and fought and experienced things that we can never understand,” Curd said. “But it has allowed us the freedom to teach our boys and girls about those things.”