International Studies Veterans Day program honors military men and women

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International Studies students sing and wave American flags. Photo: Saga Communications/Nena Zimmer

Jonesboro, AR – (JonesboroRightNow.com) – The International Studies (IS) Elementary Magnet School held its fourth annual Veterans Day Program honoring United States military service men and women.

The program, which was led by International Studies principal Suzanne Faught, featured musical performances by the Jonesboro High School Choir and the IS fifth grade class, as well as a final performance by the student body, during which all students sang patriotic songs and waved their American flags.

U.S. Congressman Rick Crawford, who was the guest speaker, shared some of his military experiences and noted the importance of Veterans Day.

“Everything we do here today, everything we do tomorrow and the day after, is because veterans have stepped up, put up their right hand and swore to protect and defend the Constitution against all enemies, foreign and domestic, that threaten America and our way of life,” Crawford said.

Students and their veteran guests were recognized by name as each veteran received an American flag pin and a veteran coin before getting a picture taken with their student.

Crawford greets veterans. (Photo by Nena Zimmer)

“We don’t want our veterans to go unnoticed, and we think it’s so important that our children understand the sacrifices that our family members, as well as our veterans, have gone through to ensure that we have our freedom. And so, we want to make sure that our children can celebrate that along with their family members and show them just a little bit of gratitude for their service that they have provided to our country,” Faught said after the program.

The Veteran’s Day event was created four years ago by Audra Earnheart, a parent and Parents and Teachers Helping Students member. She said the program was started to help students understand the sacrifices veterans and their families made.

“My husband was a Marine and my stepdad was in the Navy so this was really important to me,” Earnheart said. “Until you live this life of being a spouse of someone in the military, I just don’t feel like you understand the sacrifice and the gratitude.”