Photo courtesy of Pratt Austin-Trucks.
Veteran Dr. Gerald Collins, who served as a Petty Officer, 2nd class, in the Navy during Vietnam, is pictured with his granddaughter, Mary Cate Cone, along with her fellow MBE fifth graders (L-R) Jack Abenoja, John Paul Scott, Smith Cole, Jackson Skinner, Andrew Murphree, and Mills Bazemore.
As in previous years, the fifth grade class of Mountain Brook Elementary presented its annual Veteran’s Day program in early November to friends, family, and honored Veterans. However, this year, the program looked quite different from years past. The music program at MBE is under the new direction of Tyler Pilz, a first-year teacher at MBE. When designing and creating this program, he had two groups of people in mind: the veterans and his students.
Before rehearsals began, students discussed what the word “veteran” meant to them, which led to a performance that was meaningful to both the students and the veterans in the audience. As a slide show of students’ family members who have served our country played in the background, the program began with a piece entitled “Why We Pledge” in which each word of the Pledge of Allegiance was explained. While students at the front of the stage read and explained each word, the choir behind them sang the melody to “America the Beautiful,” a truly memorable moment.
Another one of these moments came when the students recited an original poem entitled “What We See,” written by the fifth-grade class describing their views of Veterans. The show closed with a Salute to Our Armed Forces. As the students sang each service tune, members from that branch stood, and artwork by the sixth-grade art elective was revealed for each branch. At the end of the program, students were invited to honor any of their family’s Veterans who were in attendance by presenting them with a special pin.
Thanks to Mr. Pilz, and parent co-chairs Janet Skinner and Pratt Austin-Trucks, the MBE Veteran’s Day program was unforgettable for all involved.
