Bells Elementary students hold parade for veterans
BELLS, Tenn. — Rain or shine, one elementary school wanted to celebrate veterans in a special way.
At 9 a.m. Thursday morning, Bells Elementary School students left their classrooms and gathered their posters to celebrate our country’s veterans.
In the past, they put on a program for the veterans in the gym, but last year, they started a new tradition: a Veterans Day parade.
“We want to make sure our students always understand the freedoms that they have that they get to enjoy. And there’s a reason for that. And these men and women that have come through today in our parade are the reason for that,” said Bells Elementary School Principal Brooks Rawson.
“We are free because they serve their life for us,” said 5th grader Kamri Powell.
Each grade level is assigned a branch of the military to learn about, support, and cheer on during the parade.
“They want the Air Force or the Marines, or the Army or the Navy, or even Coast Guard,” Principal Rawson said. “If we have someone come through we have assigned them to that.”
“Everybody makes a poster or makes something, and it’s very great,” Powell said. “Some of us, we’re doing dances and a lot of us, they’re just driving around cheering, and it’s very wonderful.”
“They’re out there. They’re dancing. They got the signs, it’s pretty special,” said 21-year veteran Cedric Willis.
And at the end of the parade, veterans receive an All-American goodie bag.
“It’ll have Coca-Cola in there and have Cracker Jacks. It’ll have Hershey’s from the Pennsylvania plant and those kinds of things,” Rawson said. “So trying to make it an All-American day, and we just want to keep up with them. Keep in touch with them from year to year and make sure they are honored on their special day.”
“You know, you don’t get to meet everybody when you’re serving, so you get to meet people out and about eating and everything that served, and you get to have a good time with them,” Willis said.
The Bells Elementary School students hope they made Veterans Day special for those who attended.
“We’re thankful for them and thankful for their sacrifice that they made,” said Rawson. “And it’s one day, it’s probably not enough, one day for them for what they’ve done, but we sure appreciate everything they’ve done.”
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