12/11/09

Pretty much everybody thinks of wreaths as being associated with Christmas. But some Wendell middle school students found the connections between holiday greenery, and remembering our fallen veterans.

About 85 fifth graders placed roughly 300 Christmas wreaths on the graves of veterans in the Wendell Cemetery. It's part of the national 'Wreaths Across America' event.

Middle school teacher Laura Bunn says, “We've been talking a lot about service learning with our 5th graders, and we though this would be an excellent chance for them to be able to do some service with our community and veterans.”

Wreaths Across America began 18 years ago when the Worcester Wreath Company In Harrington, Maine donated Christmas wreaths to be place on the headstones of fallen veterans at Arlington National Cemetery.

This year more than 150 thousand donated wreaths from the state of Maine will be placed in more than 400 cemeteries nationwide. This is the second year that Wendell residents have participated in the event.

Loren Wagner of the Veteran Brotherhood Association says, “It's educating the young people about our veterans and what they gave for our country. And to get them more involved with veterans and stuff like that.”

American Legion Post 41, Veterans Of Foreign Wars Post 2974, and the Veteran Brotherhood Association, along with the Wendell School District teamed up to place the wreaths in the Wendell Cemetery.