The Sherrard Community School District held a Veterans Day ceremony on Friday, honoring area veterans from the community.

Students from the district were a part of the event, and district workers say they want to honor veterans and teach students about the important day. Terry Dinges, a Marine Corps Veteran, and other Sherrard community veterans attended the Veterans Day ceremony located in Sherrard High School. “I enlisted in 1969, and would come home by 1971,” Dinges said. “I was in the Vietnam War, and I lost some good friends there. It was a growing up experience. We were all 17 years old or a little older, and it was an experience you’ll never forget.”

For Dinges and countless other veterans, the day dedicated to them is a time to look back at their time in service. For the Sherrard Community School District, they wanted to celebrate those veterans. “I think every educator needs to lead by example,” Carl Johnson, Superintendent for Sherrard Community Schools, said. “I think when the kids see how many of us educators have that connection, and we have multiple educators who are veterans themselves, that’s phenomenal. The kids look at us and say that’s how you should treat veterans, that’s how you should act and we as a district are very proud of that.”

The ceremony engaged kids from Sherrard Elementary and Middle schools, singing the national anthem and other patriotic themed songs. “I’ve served for 22 years and my dad served in the army as well,” Michael Burns, a United Stated Veteran, said. “This is an amazing day to be able to celebrate veterans, those have served in the past and those that are currently serving. To be able to see all the kids here today, and be able to share the day and help share the message was an awesome opportunity.”

Veterans who were thanked in the ceremony today, enjoyed the event. “To recognize all of the branches and service men, and all of the ones that didn’t come home, that was really awesome,” Dinges said.

Superintendent Johnson wanted to include the kids who especially had a family member or close friend who was a veteran. “That’s great for an educator to see that light bulb going off saying hey, maybe I hadn’t thought about grandpa or grandma that way,” Johnson said. “It’s nice to see that connection being made of respect.”