Fawn Hollow students learn about the diversity of military jobs

MONROE, CT — Veterans visited Fawn Hollow Elementary School and participated in a virtual assembly on Google Meet for Veterans Day Thursday morning.

Veterans introduced themselves and shared their personal experiences in the armed services, their job responsibilities and the best and most challenging aspects of serving their country.

Principal Leigh Metcalf Ances said about a dozen veterans attended the assembly, and recounted powerful stories. Many shared how difficult it was to be away from their families.

They were in uniform and brought artifacts to show the students, who learned a great deal about service and sacrifice, according to Ances.

“This is a unique year, and I think this year’s format actually benefitted all children at Fawn Hollow because they all got to participate in the learning,” said Jenna Rice, a teacher.

“Everybody got to listen to the veterans,” she said. “It was moving, and the children got a lot out of it. It was also nice seeing the veterans talking to each other and swapping stories. Many of them made a quick visit to their child’s classroom.”

“This year we were really excited to have such a diverse group of veterans,” Ances said. “It was a great learning experience for the students, because they realized that serving your country could mean any number of things. You could be in the field, working with artillery, projectiles or chemical weapons, working as an engineer, or even playing in a military band. There are so many different kinds of jobs in the military.”

In addition to the virtual assembly, students wrote letters of thanks to veterans, sang patriotic songs and read Veterans Day stories, according to Ances.

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