Assembly highlights Memorial Day
—Photo by LYNNE HALEY Washington Elementary School’s sixth-grade choir members sing “This Land Is Your Land” at the Memorial Day assembly. Shown in the front row, left to right, are Izzy Appl, Phoenix Piper, Ethan Johnson, Ky Blaser, John Keegan, Keyan Strock. In the back row, left to right, are Gretchen Schroeder, Anna Auld, Kiya Inman and Jaida Lanaville.
-- Photo by LYNNE HALEY Ret. Army Sgt. 1st Class James Koehler speaks to kindergarten through sixth-graders at Washington Elementary's Memorial Day event.
-- Photo by LYNNE HALEY Washington Elementary School kindergarteners hold up the flags they colored at the Memorial Day assembly.
SANDPOINT — The noise level was high as excited kindergarten through sixth-graders found their seats on the polished floor. The youngest students each brought a sheet of paper with an American flag they had colored with red, white and blue. Pupils in grades one through five carried papers with hand-decorated insignias by their sides as they filed in. Once students, staff and a few parents were seated, the Washington Elementary School Memorial day assembly got underway.
"We're here to help all of you remember why you're not at school on Monday," said sixth-grade teacher Jeanne Warwick, who opened the assembly on Tuesday.
On their teachers' cue, the kindergartners stood up in front and raised the flags they had colored high above their heads. With the help of the sixth grade choir, they led the entire school in singing an enthusiastic rendition of "The Star-Spangled Banner."
Students then watched the video "A Soldier's Pledge," narrated by former President Ronald Reagan. As scenes of military personnel at work crossed the big screen, the students seemed captivated by the patriotic message Reagan conveyed.
The choir followed up with several verses of "This Land Is Your Land," with everyone joining in on the familiar chorus.
Ret. Army Sgt. 1st Class James Koehler provided the keynote address, splendidly dressed in his uniform, which bore row upon row of ribbons. Koehler, currently the Transportation Director for the Lake Pend Oreille School District, served in 17 countries during his two decades of military service. He told the students about some of the hardships military personnel face and the sacrifices they make for their country. He also taught them how to speak Army-ese, by answering "Hooah!"
More singing rounded out the assembly, with first- through fifth-graders joining in with a recording of the "Armed Forces Medley." Some classes had decorated a paper Army insignia while others held Coast Guard, Air Force, Navy or Marine insignias. As the song mentioned each of the five military branches, students held up the appropriate papers as everyone sang with gusto.