Schools

VIDEO: Ballwin, Ellisville Schools Observe Veterans Day

Throughout the week, schools in the area have been celebrating the service and sacrifice of America's veterans.

Fully explaining just what it means to serve in the military is never an easy task, but helicopter pilot Eric Bergantz managed to do so using a tried-and-true method: Show and tell.

Speaking to his third-grade daughter’s classmates at in Ballwin, Bergantz speech was one of many students in Ballwin and Ellisville heard this week leading up to Veterans Day on Friday.

(Editor’s Note: See video of the activities honoring Veterans Day at Ellisville Elementary School under 'Videos' above).

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Bergantz, a U.S. Army Captain who was on active duty from 1995 to 2002, showed students slides and video from his tours, as well as miscellaneous items he always carried such as a small notebook, which no pilot (or elementary school student) should be without, he said.

“So there’s a lot of stuff this uniform was made for to help you access stuff while you’re flying," Bergantz told students.

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In addition to a performance from the school chorus at Woerther, which sang the National Anthem and a patriotic medley, visitors also were treated to readings of letters and other works that students wrote honoring veterans. 

Among the brave students to read their work was Jennifer Hanson, age 7:

“Dear Veterans: Thank you for fighting for our country. I appreciate you fighting for liberty and helping to keep our world safe. I am sorry you’re away from your family and I know you miss them. Thank you for all your hard work.“

Guests in attendance at Woerther on Thursday included Sgt. Dan Hawk of the . While not a veteran, Hawk said several veterans who serve on the Ballwin police help remind him how many veterans live in the community, and how much they often sacrifice.

“Those guys go over and do the job and they miss their families, and have to put up with a lot of stuff for things that we enjoy, and maybe some people take for granted,” Hawk said. “Everybody needs to observe it and see what it means.”


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