AHS Key Club Planning Veterans Day Project

by Jonathan Weaver

Armstrong High School students may be out of the classroom until late-August, but one teacher is already asking for help from the community to complete a Fall project.

Key Club Advisor Melissa Bowser – who teaches Life Skills students at the Manor Township school – said last year, students created a video with interviews featuring veterans that served in Vietnam, Korean and Afghanistan.

“This year, instead of doing a video, we wanted to do a book with letters in it veterans had written home from wherever they were stationed,” Bowser said. “I think we’ll continue every year to do a Veterans Day project.”

Both of Bowser’s grandfathers served in the U.S. Armed Forces, including 94-year-old Ken Elliott, of Leechburg. Elliott served in the U.S. Army during World War II.

“Guys in World War II experienced so much, so I always found so much honor in people that performed that service and I wanted the (students) to appreciate that because I don’t know if they know all those stories.”

A teacher for the past 16 years, last year was Bowser’s first as Key Club advisor. She has already asked veterans at the Worthington Legion and local VFWs for copies of their letters.

Elliott is also to send a copy of some of his letters as well as some from other family members.

“I’ll be anxious to see what I get – I hope these (letters) are something people have saved, something that was passed down,” Bowser said.

Copies of any letters with a return address can be sent to Armstrong Junior/Senior High School, care of Bowser, by the end of September to help with the project.

Key Club is a high school service organization affiliated with the local Kiwanis Club.

No Comments

No comments yet.

RSS feed for comments on this post.

Leave a comment

You must be logged in to post a comment.