The Evans School students sign during special presentation

Students from The Evans School came on stage to sing and celebrate the “Red, White and Blue” during a special presentation on Nov. 8.

Dressed in patriotic colors, they sang about our nation. For two months, the students have been learning about all aspects of American heritage; the patriotic program “God Bless America” was the culmination of these many assemblies.

Veterans of several wars were seated in the front two rows and were recognized for their service with several songs, such as “Thank you Military,” sung by Evans students. During in the event, each guest veterans was presented with a medal attached to a red, white and blue ribbon.

Jerry Coleman, the well-known broadcaster for the San Diego Padres and a veteran of both WW II and Korea, was the master of ceremonies.

Speakers included Lt. Col. Jay Kopelman, Marine Corps (Iraq), and Dr. Lester Tenney, a WW II veteran and Bataan Death March survivor. Both shared amazing stories, and Tenney told of his survival as a prisoner in a Japanese POW camp, where he shoveled coal underground 12 hours a day for three years while living on only very small allotments of half bowls of rice.

He also talked to children and assembled guests about the importance of setting goals in their lives and continuing to strive for those goals in spite of any and all obstacles. He credits his survival to these ideals.

The program ended with a duet of “The Battle Hymn of the Republic” and two slide shows: one of the honored veterans and one of the Evans School children dressed in patriotic attire.