Celebrating Veterans Day at Poly

Veterans Day was celebrated this year at Poly through tributes at every level of the school. We are grateful to our faculty and staff who have served our country including Sherlyn Burns, Kevin Jones, and Allan Schaefer, and those in our Poly Community who have also served. 

“I am very proud to have served my country,” said Sherlyn, who joined the U.S. Army from 1983-1987. “It was a very valuable experience that truly shaped me in my twenties. I learned skills that I would not have otherwise learned including another language and about another culture while serving in Korea.

“I realize that I live in a wonderful country and I try not to take my freedoms and rights for granted. I know that our country is great because of the service of those who came and sacrificed before me.  My years in the Army definitely made me a stronger person, though I still can't wear olive green to this day!”

In the Upper School, Annie H. ’24 spearheaded communications with Women Warriors, a non-profit supporting women veterans and their families who return to civilian life, and collaborated with the Lower School to create cards for these individuals. In the Middle School, Scouting Troop 5 honored veterans with a color guard salute and reading of Veterans Day by Cheryl Dyson. In the Lower School, first- and fifth-grade buddies joined together to create cards for the Women Warriors, with a veterans tribute including Sherlyn and Kevin. 

For the Lower School’s Super Poly News Network (SPNN) program, Kevin was interviewed about what Veterans Day means to him. He said, “Veterans Day actually means a lot to me, it’s really nice to see all of you show your appreciation for fellow veterans and it brings back a lot of really good memories from the time I served.”

We are grateful to those who have served on Veterans Day and year-round!