Thirteen special-needs students in the Herricks School District will pay tribute this Memorial Day by creatively exploring one question: What does America mean to me?
The students, from Herricks High and Middle schools, submitted posters to a Memorial Day contest hosted by the Ladies Auxiliary of the Albertson Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 5253 with the theme “What America Means to Me…”
The students’ answers were varied, said Gina Schrader, the teacher of the high school class. Some students said America meant Uncle Sam; others said Yankees and hot dogs.
But through the project, Schrader said, the students also learned more about the significance of the holiday.
“We spoke about Memorial Day Weekend, and why it’s important, and why we’re so lucky to live in America,” she said. “I just thought it was such a great opportunity that we were asked to do this.”
The winners will be acknowledged after Post 5253’s Memorial Day parade and tribute this Monday. And while the posters commemorate the veterans who died in service of the country, Schrader said the contest also provides the students with some well-deserved recognition of their own.
“I thought it would be a great opportunity to get some kind of recognition,” Schrader said. “Unfortunately, it doesn’t happen as often as for the other students.”
Marianna Wohlgemuth, the treasurer for the Ladies Auxiliary and an organizer of the contest, said she and the Auxiliary hoped to promote Americanism and patriotism in young adults.
“Memorial Day is in memory of all the fallen comrades. We don’t want anybody to forget they gave their life,” said Wohlgemuth, whose husband served in Vietnam. “To me, America means freedom. And without freedom, we would not have the life we have today.”
Wohlgemuth said the Ladies Auxiliary received a wide-range of submissions, particularly from the high school class. One had Uncle Sam, she said. Another had a ship with an anchor.
One poster, she said, depicted the emblems of each branch of the armed services with the American flag and an inscription of the lyrics to “God Bless the USA” by Lee Greenwood.
Schrader said the high school class, which includes students in grades nine through 12, brainstormed their feelings about America on a Smart Board and then used the ideas as the basis for their posters.
Other 11th and 12th grade students from Herricks High School helped mentor the contest participants as they designed their posters.
“I think that through art, you can express yourself better,” said Bettina Campbell a member of the Ladies Auxiliary and an organizer of the contest.
The two winners of the poster contest — one from the middle school and one from the high school — will each receive a $50 gift certificate to Barnes and Noble. All other participants will receive a $10 gift card.
The auxiliary raised the money for the contest at its Holiday Bazaar in December, Wohlgemuth said. The money raised also goes toward monthly visits to Northport VA Medical Center and to ship Beanie Babies to military bases for soldiers to distribute to children in active military zones.
“We sent over three cartons of Beanie Babies,” Wohlgemuth said. “They stick them in their pockets, and if they meet any children or young adults, they can use that as a promotion of goodwill.”
Post 5253’s ceremony will begin at 9 a.m. at 155 Searingtown Road on Monday, May 25. Prior to the parade, the Post will pay tribute to the members who died in the past year, recount the significance of the holiday and open the floor to comments by local officials.
Wohlgemuth said they would award the prizes to the students at the post after the parade, at about 11 a.m.
