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Students Take 'Heroes Challenge' for Local Veterans 2024

Students Take 'Heroes Challenge' for Local Veterans 2024

For the fourth consecutive year Memorial Park Elementary School (MPS) hosted a celebration of veterans. This year’s theme was MPS Heroes Challenge: Overcoming Obstacles for our Heroes. Students, faculty, staff, members of the local legion, veterans from Harding Nursing Home and Clear Path for Veterans representatives participated in the school wide event that took place on Nov. 8. 

The event combined physical activity with meaningful tribute to honor veterans. Students were able to participate in an obstacle course challenge and showcase the “MPS Wall of Heroes” where students and staff members fill out a special form to spotlight a friend or family member that has served or is currently serving. Leading up to the event, students collected spare change to donate to local veterans and Clear Path for Veterans, an organization based in Chittenango that offers a wide range of services, programs, and events to support local veterans and their families.   

MPS Wall of Heroes where students and staff members fill out a special form to spotlight a friend or family member that has served or is currently serving.

“The Positivity Project planning team started this wonderful tradition in 2021 because we wanted to instill the true meaning of Veterans Day to our young students,” said Jody Thomas, special education teacher and Waterville’s Positivity Project ambassador. “We didn't want it to be just a day they read about and then had a day off from school. We also wanted it to be interactive and meaningful.”  

The school has a tradition of celebrating Veterans Day with events that have been well attended. In 2021, students and teachers connected with Team Red, White & Blue (Team RWB) and had their own ""Old Glory Relay"" in the gym that was modeled after their national Old Glory Relay. Students raised money leading up to the event to donate to Team RWB. 

In 2022, the school partnered with Wounded Warriors and did a "Carry Forward" event based on their national event. In 2023, the school partnered with Clear Path for Veterans and did a "Ride and Run" based on their local race. 

Jody Thomas, special education teacher and Waterville’s Positivity Project ambassador and Gary Sadler, US Navy Veteran and the National Director of Career Services at Clear Path for Veterans
A large indoor gymnasium with a wooden floor, basketball hoops, and various sports equipment and supplies scattered throughout the space.
A group of people seated at tables, engaged in conversation, with a room filled with various furnishings and decor in the background.
A young girl stands at a podium on a stage, with an American flag and curtains in the background.
A group of young cheerleaders in colorful uniforms are performing on a basketball court, surrounded by a crowd of spectators in the background.
A group of young cheerleaders in colorful uniforms sit on the floor of a gymnasium, while a male performer jumps and dances in the foreground.
A group of people, likely students, are standing on a stage in front of an American flag, with a black curtain backdrop.
A group of people, some in wheelchairs, gathered in a gymnasium-like setting, with an American flag prominently displayed in the background.
A group of people, including a man in a suit, are gathered in a school gymnasium, with various items and decorations visible in the background.
A person in military uniform is performing a demonstration on a gymnasium floor, surrounded by a large audience of children and adults.
A group of children, some wearing colorful clothing, are gathered in a gymnasium with yellow walls, engaged in what appears to be a performance or activity.
A young woman in a white outfit is walking on a balance beam in a gymnasium filled with spectators and equipment.
The image shows a group of people, mostly children, gathered in a gymnasium-like setting, with a young girl standing on a colorful trampoline-like device in the foreground.
A large costumed character, resembling a tiger or similar animal, stands in the foreground, surrounded by a crowd of people in the background.
A group of young cheerleaders and their coaches are gathered on a basketball court, with various equipment and props visible in the background.
A group of people, including children and adults, are gathered in a gymnasium-like setting, with a person in military attire standing on a colorful mat in the foreground.
A group of people, including children and adults, are gathered in a gymnasium-like setting, with various gymnastics equipment and mats visible in the foreground.
A person in a red costume is performing on a stage in front of a large audience seated on the floor of a gymnasium.
A person in a black jacket is walking on a basketball court surrounded by colorful cones and a crowd of people in the background.
A young boy in a colorful tie-dye shirt is enthusiastically jumping on an orange obstacle course in a crowded gymnasium filled with other children and adults.
A large indoor gymnasium with a crowd of people, including a person in a red shirt standing in the center of the room, surrounded by various colorful objects on the floor.
The image shows two people, a man and a woman, standing and conversing in what appears to be a school gymnasium or sports hall, with various sports equipment and spectators visible in the background.
A group of children, some wearing colorful costumes, are gathered in a gymnasium with a yellow wall backdrop, engaged in what appears to be a performance or activity.