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Victoria Elementary School fifth graders, under the direction of their teacher, Carolyn Vermillion, chose a special way to demonstrate kindness and to give back to the community.  This fall, they have worked to support the Wounded Warrior Project as their service project.  The Wounded Warrior Project helps wounded veterans in many aspects. Directly tying in with Veterans Day, students also thought of special people in their lives who served in the military and placed their names on stars which lined the hallways.

Vermillion also incorporated lessons with the project. She read a book to the class about a wounded soldier who had a service dog. Upon reading the book, student Allison Ryan offered that her mom had a service dog. Brittney Ryan, Allison’s mom, was a member of the Sea Bees in the Navy.  Missy was her first service dog. Missy has since passed away, and now Elvis, their new service dog, is living with them while he is being trained. Missy helped Brittney with staying calm in crowds and many other household tasks, and soon, Elvis will too.  The class also discovered that Brody King, another student, had a family member in the Marines who is buried at the Arlington National Cemetery.

“In doing the Wounded Warrior Project, I had two goals in mind. First, our students are so eager to feel like they are a part of something after an isolating year and a half, so I felt this would be a good way to bring them together,” said Vermillion. “Second, I thought it would be an excellent way to honor and serve a very worthy and important part of our community — veterans — and at the same time, instill in our students a sense of personal and collective responsibility to help one another. They rose to the occasion, and I couldn’t be more proud.”

The students raised $570 for the Wounded Warrior Project.

Their efforts earned them a pizza party.