Across Linden Schools, Generations Unite to Honor Veterans

Flags, music and personal tributes connect students with those who served, from a 22-year-old Marine veteran to a 98-year-old World War II Army veteran.

LINDEN PUBLIC SCHOOL, NJ (Nov. 11) — On the green outside McManus Middle School, three students sang the national anthem. At School No. 10, veterans separated by 76 years shared a place of honor before a packed auditorium of children. In Manhattan, Linden High School's NJROTC cadets marched up Fifth Avenue.

Across Linden Public Schools, Veterans Day brought students and veterans together through assemblies, patriotic songs, poems and classroom activities. Superintendent Dr. Atiya Y. Perkins joined the morning's observances with a message shaped by her own family's experience.

"I also stand here as a wife to a veteran," Perkins said at McManus. "Every person who puts on a uniform to serve our country, there's a family standing with them as well."

A Morning of Flags and Song

The district's celebrations began at 8:30 a.m., when Melanie Rice, Danielle Lopez and Claire Hernandez sang the national anthem on the green beneath McManus Middle School's towering flagpole. Their voices opened the school's Field of Flags ceremony, with support from National Junior Honor Society members, teachers and staff, and patriotic music led by Mr. Healy and band students.

Dr. Perkins stood with a flag in her hand as she opened the ceremony. "This flag represents our nation. This flag represents our freedom," she said. She placed the first miniature flag at the base of the flagpole, and students followed, building a circular memorial around it.

As the nation marked its 250th anniversary, Perkins urged students to carry their appreciation for veterans into their own lives: serve others, thank a veteran throughout the year and take pride in contributing to the community.

Two Schools, a Shared Musical Tribute

At Schools No. 1 and No. 10, students presented similar programs of patriotic songs and poems, filling packed assemblies with music and applause for visiting veterans.

Children sang "The Star-Spangled Banner," "You're a Grand Old Flag," "Yankee Doodle Dandy," "America the Beautiful," "America (My Country, 'Tis of Thee)," "God Bless America" and "Proud to Be an American."

At School No. 1, seven veterans received recognition, including one of the school's physical education teachers. The gatherings held personal meaning for the school communities, as many of the honorees were parents, grandparents and other relatives of Linden Public School students.

"Today, we honor real-life heroes," Assistant Superintendent Annabel Louis told the School No. 1 assembly. "Heroes who may not wear capes, but heroes who have worn uniforms. Heroes who have shown courage, made sacrifices, and served our country so that we can enjoy the freedoms we have today. These are heroes who are brave! And here's something I want all of you to remember: Being brave doesn't mean you're never afraid. Being brave means doing what is right, even when it's difficult."

School No. 10 welcomed 16 veterans: eight who served in more recent conflicts and eight World War II veterans from Atria Senior Living. Together they brought an extraordinary span of military experience before the school's kindergarten through fifth-grade students.

Seventy-Six Years Apart

Louis Flores is 22. His four years in the U.S. Marine Corps ended this past August. Thomas O'Neil is 98. He served in the Army during World War II.

At School No. 10, both men were honored by children whose lives are still measured in a handful of school years. Seventy-six years separated them. For the students, their presence made generations of service visible in a single room.

Songs and poems gave the children a way to express their thanks. Applause offered another. Dr. Perkins recognized the veterans' commitment and the sacrifices of their families, and asked students to practice the respect, gratitude and willingness to help others that the gathering celebrated. "You are appreciated and you are valued," she told the veterans.

From Linden Classrooms to Fifth Avenue

The learning was woven through every observance. In classrooms across the district, students explored military service and citizenship through patriotic drawings and artwork, Veterans Day books and read-alouds, and their own writing. At School No. 8, students put their gratitude into words, writing thank-you letters to veterans.

For each activity, students knew what they were learning and why: to understand the meaning of service and sacrifice, and to find their own ways of expressing appreciation. The letters, artwork and songs became evidence of that learning, giving students a voice in the day's tribute.

The high school's NJROTC cadets carried Linden's tribute beyond the city, marching in New York City's Veterans Day Parade along Fifth Avenue. At 11 a.m., American Legion veterans gathered in front of Linden City Hall to reflect, extending the day's observances into the wider community.

Back in the elementary school assemblies, the finale brought students and veterans into the same song. After a morning devoted to honoring those who served, they sang together: "This Land Is Your Land."