News Releases
District 15 Students Create Thousands of Cards and Letters
for Servicemen and Women
 Thousands of personally written letters and hand-drawn cards created by District 15 students ranging from kindergarteners to eighth-graders are on their way to Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington, D.C.
The greetings, prepared by students in all District 15 schools, were part of the schools’ Veterans’ Day observances, along with patriotic ceremonies honoring veterans. In the cards and letters, the students expressed their deep appreciation to servicemen and women for their service, and in some cases, their sacrifices. The greetings project was initiated this year in honor of Bryan Anderson, a graduate of District 15’s Carl Sandburg Junior High, who was recently injured in Iraq and now is being treated at Walter Reed. District 15 estimates that more than 5,000 cards and letters were collected.
The cards and letters will be boxed for shipping this week, with shipping costs being defrayed by the Classroom Teachers’ Council, the union which represents District 15 teachers.
“Recognizing and honoring our community’s veterans has long been a tradition in District 15 schools,” said Scott Boucher, president of the Board of Education. Boucher noted that while most school districts take Veterans’ Day as a non-attendance day, District 15 several years ago decided that teaching students about the meaning of the day would have a more meaningful impact than simply a day spent at leisure.
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