Perdue students deliver tributes to veterans

David Perdue Elementary got a jump Friday on celebrating Veterans Day. The school held its second annual Veterans Day Celebration with about 350 veterans, parents and school board officials and friends of the school attending.

Principal Andy Payne served as master of ceremonies for the event, which included singing, dancing and personal speeches from the school’s student body.

Members of the school’s Student Council greeted visitors and escorted them to the gym where another group offered them refreshments before pointing them to the seating area.

“I’m here taking photos for the school,” said Olivia Reed, an 8-year-old third grade student, who along with other members of the school’s Photo Club were mingling with guests.

Veterans High School AFROTC members presented the colors, the school’s chorus sang The National Anthem, and fifth-grade student Sarah Starcher led everyone in the Pledge of Allegiance.

Payne welcomed the crowd, telling them that, “For what you have done and what you are doing now, just saying thank you is not enough. But we have come together to celebrate you and thank you for what you have done.”

He went on to thank Dr. Melissa Green of Pollard Professional Hearing Services in Macon for sponsoring the event.

Starting with the current deployments in the Middle East and going back in time, Payne thanked all the active duty and retired service personnel, stopping at the Vietnam War, noting his father participated in it and becoming emotional. The number of veterans attending ended with the Korean Conflict.

Robins Air Force Base and the Board of Education worked together and the school has a Military Family Life counselor to assist children of active duty personnel, he said.

“If either mommy or daddy is overseas, the children have someone here at the school they can talk to,” he said.

Next up were the Dynamic Dogs, the school’s dance troupe, who did a special number to “We Could Be Heroes” by Alesso.

The chorus, under the direction of Lizamar Nieves, delivered a couple of moving patriotic-themed songs including “We Celebrate America”:

“Of thee we sing, across our nation.

While freedom rings, our voices rise as one.

With colors true, red, white, and blue!

Our celebration has begun!”

Then a student from each of the school’s homeroom class stepped up and delivered a personal thank-you to the veterans.

“It’s from their hearts, so you know it’s sincere,” Payton said.

The students bravely stepped up to the microphone and delivered their heartfelt messages, many of them ending with “thank you” or “I love you.”

It was a hard act to follow, said guest speaker Richard Helton, a field examiner for the Veterans Administration.

“I didn’t think my talk would involve tears,” he said, tapping his heart.

Other Houston schools held their own celebrations earlier this week at Russell Elementary on Monday and Thomson Middle, Huntington Middle and Hilltop Elementary on Tuesday, a “Veterans For Veterans” concert 11 a.m. at Veterans High today, and a 1:30 p.m. ceremony Thursday at Eagle Springs Elementary.

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