The students of ECHO Charter School led a commemoration of Veterans Day on Monday, November 11. Five students--Destiny Anderson, Autumn Harder, Izzy Steckelberg, Maddie Slettedahl, and Christian Knutson were in good company delivering messages about their personal experiences with veterans in their families. The keynote speaker, Dorian Gatchell, a 29-year veteran of the Air Force, talked about the meaning of Veterans Day through the eyes of a child. The child who finds a "treasure" in the couch--a nickel, a piece of yarn, or a toy--instinctively wants to share. "What does he do? He sees you sitting there and he comes over to give the thing to you. Why? Because he has it, ad you don't." Interestingly, to Gatchell, this is also the essence of being a veteran, because a veteran selflessly gives what he or she has to someone who doesn't have it--namely, safety, freedom, and protection. The kids were so quiet, one could hear a pin drop.
Veteran's Day Program
November 13, 2019