Cinnaminson Students Recognize Vets

Cinnaminson Middle School (CMS) students reflected Tuesday on the sacrifices made by veterans to preserve their freedoms.

Hundreds of eighth-graders gathered in the gymnasium for the school’s seventh annual veterans recognition ceremony, which this year was led by the students.

“It’s just important for us to highlight these people,” said principal Frank Goulburn. “Many of them live in Cinnaminson. They’re next-door neighbors, grandparents, fathers, mothers, who put country first, sacrificed their own life in some cases … (The students) read about it in social studies class, about various wars and battles. Hopefully the kids appreciate the sacrifice of these people.”

Typically, the program is led by assistant principal Hamm Kolev, who is himself an Army veteran, but Goulburn said the school decided to hand the reins over to the students this time.

"Rather than have 200 eighth-graders hearing the same person talking the entire time, we thought it would be nice if their own classmates got up there," said Goulburn.

The ceremony—which was attended by dozens of veterans, many of them relatives of CMS students—was punctuated by performances from the school band and the Cinnaminson Select Singers, who performed the Armed Forces Salute, featuring the official song for each branch of the military.

In one of the highlights of the ceremony, the winners of the school’s Patriot’s Pen essay contest—a program sponsored by the VFW—from each grade read their essays (which answered the question “What does patriotism mean to me?”) to the audience.

“I believe that having patriotism means that you love your country so effortlessly that you’d do everything for it,” said sixth-grader Rana Wood. “It means giving the love this country has given to you right back.”

Seventh grade winner Emma Trzaska described patriotism as “a major part of my life every single day. I can celebrate my country’s freedoms, have a lot of role models, and have friends of many different cultures.”

Eighth-grader Christine Bescript specifically addressed the dedication of veterans—as well as their families—in her winning speech.

“I think sometimes people don’t realize what families really go through when they have a solider in their family,” she said. “When kids go home from school, they might not see one of their parents. Not only do they not see them, but they don’t know when or if they are coming home.

“To me, that is truly patriotism … Soldiers are the definition of patriotism.”

Sixth and seventh grade students will have their own ceremony Wednesday.

Did you take photos at the Cinnaminson Middle School veterans ceremony? Email pictures to rob.scott@patch.com.