Mrs. Evans’s kindergarten class reciting the Pledge of Allegiance.

Many of our classes completed lessons, activities, and projects to learn more about and honor our Veterans. Students from Mrs. James’s preschool class, Mrs. Powers’s fourth grade class, and Mrs. Dykes’s sixth grade computer science class is featured below.

Thank you, Veterans!

Preschool & Fourth Grade

Gallery|13 Photos

Mrs. James

Members of our preschool class thanking our Veterans.

Sixth Grade

The students in Mrs. Dykes’s sixth grade computer science class created presentations to help inform others about Veterans Day. They hope that their presentations show our Veterans how much we appreciate their service! Thank you, Veterans!

View their slideshows at the links below:

Slideshow by Isaac and Jevin

Slideshow by Jerrett and Sara

Slideshow by Autumn, Nora, Jaliyah, and Ayla

Slideshow by Jackson, Silas, Wyatt, and Braxton

Our annual Veterans Day Program is virtual this year! Watch the students at Myers Elementary perform their annual music program in honor of our Veterans.

Recorded by the Cannelton HiLife staff – Jason, Caleb, and Gage

Program directed by Mrs. Sharla Adams
Special thanks to Mrs. Hulse, Miss Donna, Miss Lasher, Mrs. Reed for assisting with the program.

This essay was written by 7th Grader Kylie Anastasiades as part of the 2019 VFW essay contest. Kylie was awarded first place for this essay!

What Makes America Great

There are many reasons why America is great. The one that means the most to me is our freedom. We are free and able to do the things that we love, like being with our families everyday and playing sports. Though, we are only allowed to do that because of the Bill of Rights. This means we have a choice and an opinion in what we can do and what we can believe in. America is great because we have freedom, choices, and opportunities in the world that are protected by our military.

With the Bill of Rights, we can have freedom of speech, religion, and the right to be free. Everybody can believe in different things and everybody doesn’t have to agree with anything people do. People aren’t supposed to believe or agree on the same thing. Everybody is supposed to be different in some type of way, and if we would all agree on the same thing we wouldn’t really be different. The Bill of Rights is one of the main things that makes America great and makes us stand out more than the other countries.

Our citizens are also a reason that America is great. Everyday people decide whether they want to go to work or school. Some people want to get up in the morning and teach kids about everything they will need to know. Others get up and fight for our country. People go to battle and risk their lives for us to live, go to work, go to school and do what we do everyday, and if it wasn’t for them we wouldn’t be able to do anything. With everybody in the world working together, we can have bigger and better things for everybody.

All of these things make America great, but without our military to fight for them we wouldn’t have any of these things. People in our military go to war and fight our enemies for a living. They risk their lives so that we are able to be free and do the things we love. We need to appreciate the things that we have, because if it wasn’t for our military then we wouldn’t be here today. We would be somewhere else doing something we wouldn’t want to do. America is great because of our military, because if we didn’t have our military then we wouldn’t have anything.

This essay was written by sixth grader Jay Henson, as an entry for the annual VFW essay contest.

Is America great? This is a common question asked by the curious-minded. Some see America as a dark place, full of bad stereotypes and rude people, but look a little closer. Stare a little longer. The great things in America outshine the negative energy that stalls us. The great freedom we have because of the lives lost fighting for it. The equality we have because of the brave, who stood up with courage. America is full of beautiful, kind, and brave people who won’t allow themselves to be torn down by the darkness. Our reputation can not damage our morals and that makes America great.

America is a place of hope. Have you ever heard of the American dream? Immigrants look at this country with stars in their eyes; a glimmer of hope for a better life. This place is a dream for them, something they think they can never have. When they get it, they cherish every second. America is freedom. And Freedom? It’s beautiful. People risk their lives for it. Instead of living in a cage of forced religion and unfair law, we live in a field of expression and choices. That’s the great thing about freedom. You are you, and you’re allowed to be. America is a safe place to figure out who you are, and being who you are is the most important thing you should do.

Equality is a powerful thing. Being accepted is a heart-warming experience. America accepts you as part of the whole. You aren’t thrown out over your skin color, gender, or sexuality. People are like flowers; they may seem similar, but they all have different qualities. In America, those qualities are seen as blessings, and you’re accepted into the bouquet. Everyone is equally their own flower, beautiful and sweet. In some countries, just because you’re a female, you can’t show your face, get a job, or vote, because in their eyes, women are less important than men. People of color are discriminated against, treated as worthless compared to those who are white. But in America, everyone is equal no matter who you are.

So, what makes America great? My answer: the people. We the people make America the country what it is. We make the choices. We follow morals that lead us to greatness. We choose freedom and equality, and that makes America great.

Cannelton City Schools – Virtual Veterans Day Program 2020

Our Cannelton HiLife staff asked students in grades preschool – 12 and staff to answer one simple yet very powerful question – What does Veterans Day mean to you?

Credits:

Filming – Bria, Gage, Caleb
Editing and production – Bria

Special thanks to the students and staff members who participated and assisted!

Cannelton High School Seniors Isaac Corley and Megan Powers performing “Travelin’ Soldier” – The Chicks.

Performed at the November 2019 Cannelton City Schools Veterans Day Program.

Video courtesy of Amber McCormick.
Original song and credits – The Chicks.

Being a small community can be a double-edged sword. While we would like for there to be more here in town, I think we all can agree that it is nice to be so small. There is comfort in knowing your neighbors, your child’s friends, and the city workers and teachers aren’t strangers. We are a close-knit community who pride ourselves on tradition. However, the other side of the sword may be sharper. When we lose one of our own, we all mourn for we are all one family.

Each year our school has the honor to pay tribute to a fallen hero and former student, Mark Miller. He was a private first class in the United States Army and died on February 25, 1991, during Operation Desert Storm in Saudi Arabia at the age of 20.

Mark was a selfless member of our school and community, and carried this personal characteristic into his time of service. He was an upstanding citizen and a valuable role model to our youth.

We honor Mark and his family for their sacrifices as well as the many other soldiers who made the ultimate sacrifice for our great country.

Written by Cannelton High School teacher Mrs. Hinton

Gallery|8 Photos

Dayna Hinton

Mark Miller, Private First Class, United States Army.

Our annual Veterans Day slideshow is a time honored tradition that our community dearly looks forward to seeing each year. Years in the making, this slideshow has grown each year for more than 5 years. Our staff looks forward to adding more slides just as much as our community looks forward to watching.

If you have a Veteran that you would like to include in our presentation, please let us know!

Thank you, Veterans!

Slideshow created by Principal Snyder.

Slideshow converted to digital by Kylie and Makayla.