December 2017
Lux kicks off week filled with LPS Veterans Day activities World War II veteran Loren Bonneau barely paused when a student asked why he decided to enlist in the Army Air Corps back in 1944. “I felt it was my obligation to join,” said the 93-year-old Lincoln resident. “I thought America was a great country and I wanted to be part of it.” Bonneau was one of 42 military veterans who spoke to 8th-graders at Lux Middle School on Nov. 3, part of the school’s annual Veterans Day Celebration. The event, now in its 20th year, kicked off in the school’s multi-use room with patriotic songs performed by the 8thgrade band and choir, as well as speeches by veterans and students. After that, students split up into small groups and heard the stories of multiple veterans, each for about 20 minutes. “Our goal for this as a school was to share with our 8th-grade students these veterans’ stories, to teach them about patriotism, pride, civic responsibility, and maybe to inspire them, as well,” said Lux Principal Duane Dohmen, himself an Army veteran. Students were certainly inspired by Bonneau, a radio operator and mechanic who flew missions aboard B-29 Superfortresses during World War II. At age 19, he worked on a farm and was originally granted a deferment because of a farm labor shortage during the war. So, he quit his farm job and started working at a grocery store. Then, when we showed up at Offutt Air Force Base to enlist, he only weighed 118 pounds - two pounds short of the limit. “They told me to go eat a couple bananas and a hamburger and come back,” said Bonneau, who did exactly that.
I thought America was a great country and I wanted to be part of it.
One of the Lux students, Sadye, said it was great to hear firsthand about so many historical events they study in class. “Just talking to someone who was there, it’s so cool and such a great experience,” she said. Other schools across LPS celebrated Veterans Day the following week, culminating with a variety of events Nov. 10, including:
• Riley Elementary School embraced an extended military family with a powerful Veterans Day ceremony that honored military members – past and present – who were spouses, mothers and
fathers, aunts and uncles, grandfathers and grandmothers of Riley staff and students. • Students from kindergarten through 5th grade at Randolph Elementary School wrote thank-you letters to veterans. • More than 30 military veterans walked hallways lined with students waving American flags and raising homemade patriotic signs at Belmont Elementary School. After they took part in the hallway parade, the veterans were invited to the school’s multi-use room for breakfast. • Students at Kloefkorn Elementary School heard from Lt. Col. Thad Fineran from the Nebraska Army National Guard’s 1-376th Aviation Battalion. Fineran’s son attends Kloefkorn; his wife teaches third grade at the school. • Goodrich Middle School hosted a special assembly for students and veterans that included performances from the North Star High School orchestra, Goodrich Middle School 8th-grade band and the Goodrich select choir. Winners of the “Patriotic Pen” essay competition read their winning essays, and the audience heard from featured guest speaker Lauren Taylor, a current LPS music teacher and a member of the Army National Guard. • All week during morning announcements, McPhee Elementary School students learned about Veterans Day. They also heard examples of how to thank a veteran and were challenged to find a Veteran to thank. • Morley Elementary School students wrote letters to veterans to thank them for their service. • Lincoln Southeast High School proudly displayed information about veterans who are, or are related to, staff. • Fredstrom Elementary School students enjoyed the company of more than 80 veteran family members for lunch. What’s Inside Section A: • Northeast Honors Society. . . . . . A2 • Stock Market Challenge. . . . . . . A3 • Culinary Conference . . . . . . . . . . A6 • Reasons PLCs are Important . . . A7 • Teacher Uses Polka Stardom . . . A9 • Bubba’s Closet . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A11 What’s Inside Section B: • Lux Club ‘Frankentoys’ . . . . . . . . B1 • Celebrating CLC’s. . . . . . . . . . . . . B1 • Learning Lunch . . . . . . . . . . . . . . B2 • NASA Technology at LPS . . . . . . B3 • TeamMates of the Month . . . . . . B3 • Music with Ukulele . . . . . . . . . . . B6 • Irving Community Service . . . . . B7 • Movement Boosts Learning . . . . B7 • Pound Essay Contest. . . . . . . . . . B9 • Menus. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . B10 • Beattie Fundraising Effort . . . . B11
Community News is a publication of Lincoln Public Schools. If you have any questions about this publication please contact Mary Kay Roth, 436-1609; or Mindy Burbach, 436-1619; Lincoln Public Schools, P.O. Box 82889, Lincoln, NE 68501-2889.