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‘Wonderful’ tribute: Fredonia honors veterans at school assembly

Fredonia honors veterans at school assembly

By Braden Carmen 6 min read

Fredonia students filled the auditorium on Tuesday morning for a meaningful assembly that reminded everyone of the purpose of the day that followed.

The annual Veterans Day celebration at Fredonia Central Schools had even more meaning this year than ever before. Students in Cathy Cruver's leadership course led the way this year, organizing an assembly to honor roughly two dozen distinguished guests.

The assembly lasted roughly 30 minutes, with students leading each portion of the event. Mikaela Sciarrino sang the national anthem, then each branch of the military was recognized. Members in attendance stood to a round of applause.

One of the many guests at Tuesday's event was Dewey Winchell, a World War II veteran of the U.S. Navy. Winchell is 101 years old. He served in the Navy from 1943-1946 shortly after graduating from Fredonia High School.

"I thought I did a very good thing in fighting for my country," Winchell said. "I had a lot to learn, and I learned a lot."

Several members of Winchell's family are employed at the Fredonia Central School District. He was recognized at the ceremony and honored with a standing ovation from the entire auditorium.

Winchell teared up when he was asked what being part of the event meant to him. "It was wonderful," he said. "I was so happy to be here, so happy that they invited me here today for this celebration. Everything was just wonderful for me today."

There was also a reading of a veterans' poem, followed by a video explaining the "Missing Man Table," which honors fallen, missing in action, or prisoner of war service members. A table was set up on stage with a candle and a moment of silence was held.

One of the highlights of the event that was new this year was a video created by students that featured teachers and fellow students who spoke about service members in their families. Shortly after the video concluded, the auditorium crowd stood to the playing of taps to conclude the ceremony.

After the ceremony finished, the veterans posed for a photo with second-grade students and several of the students from the high school leadership course. The veterans then walked in a line to greet each second grader one by one, as they were presented with gifts made by the students. Veterans gave high fives to students as they made their way down the line. Many of the veterans then made their way over to the Wheelock campus to meet with the district's youngest learners at the Early Childhood Center.

Kristin Tomaszewski, a teacher at Fredonia, has been coordinating the event for the past 15 years. It began as a small ceremony where a few students gave thanks to Tomaszewski's father, Douglas Coykendall, a proud U.S. Army pilot during the Vietnam War. Since then, Coykendall has passed away, but the annual Fredonia tradition carries on his legacy along with so many others who served our country.

"It sends a message to our veterans that we see them, we hear them, we value them. Their stories matter to us," Tomaszewski said. "I'm really proud to work in a district that values that, Pre-K through 12."

Stories like Coykendall's and Winchell's are passed along to the next generation at Fredonia's event each year. Students get to learn about service and what drove so many to stand up for the country we all call home.

Winchell said his viewpoint on life now is to live one day at a time, rather than focusing on the past or what comes next. His message to the next generation, however, is to follow their passion, whatever that may be.

"What I'd say to all the children today is to pick something you want to do and go for it. Ride it to the end and let nothing get in your way," Winchell said.

This year's event was more student-led than any other year. Tomaszewski said it made the event even more special because it was obvious how invested the students were in crafting a meaningful tribute to military veterans.

"I hope that they learn about sacrifice, service, and honor, and what those things look like outside of our everyday world," Tomaszewski said of the message of the event. "The service is not a path that I chose, but those that did really deserve our ultimate respect. I think it's my duty as a teacher to try to teach students that."

High School Principal Ron Tonelli and Superintendent Dr. Brad Zilliox both highlighted Tomaszewski's efforts to grow the tradition over the years at the district. Tonelli also added that the students "did a phenomenal job."

"I very much appreciate the adults creating a student-led ceremony today," Zilliox said. "Thanks to all of our students who were willing to get involved and participate. It's not easy to get up in front of a room full of your peers, and I thought they did a great job."

Zilliox said the event is a great example of the district's desire to integrate the community as a whole within the school.

"We want our students, even at a young age, to begin to process what it means to serve – the sacrifice, the commitment, the dedication – to begin that thought of giving thanks and being grateful for the people that have come before us," Zilliox said.

"On a larger scale, it's about community. These are the folks who are in our community who we want to recognize for the work that they did for our country. It brings them to our school, and our students get a chance to see the people that live amongst them," Tonelli said. "... Veterans Day, Memorial Day, these are days that our students get off of school, and sometimes that's what they know it as. This puts a little bit of definition to why they're not here those days."

Tomaszewski hopes the tradition will continue for many more years. "We've still got work to do. We still want to continue to teach our students how to show respect and honor to our veterans," Tomaszewski said. "This is going to be a forever work in progress, and we hope it will continue for years to come."

Winchell said of the annual tradition at Fredonia, "I hope they never take it away. All of us veterans have a right to be acknowledged by everybody else, because we did our duty to keep the country free. To all the other ones like me, I wish them a lot of luck."

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