Happy Veterans Day!

Today America celebrates Veterans Day. It is the day we honor the men and women who have served in the armed forces. Veterans Day is a national holiday.

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Photo by Mrs. Yollis

Veterans: Men and women who have served in the armed forces.

Soldiers: Men and women who are currently serving in the armed forces.

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Here is a link to a wonderful BrainPop

 video about America's Armed Forces.

What did you learn about the 

Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines, and Coast Guard?

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Below we feature some friends and family who are veterans!

Illustration by Aarna

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Meet our district superintendent, Dr. Stepenosky. As you can see, he served in the Navy. From 1990 to 1994, he was on a USS Chancellorsville which was a guided-missile cruiser. It was 9,000 tons and had a crew of 330. Notice the destroyer in the background.

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Meet Lucas' grandfather, Seargent Bill, who served in the Marine Corps. He was stationed at Cherry Point, North Carolina, and he served in the Vietnam War.

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Zach's great-grandfather

ARMY: Meet Ralph Linore, Zach's great-grandfather. He was a United States Army sergeant who proudly served from 1942 to 1945 in WW II.

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Meet Noah’s papa, Michael Berkson. He was in the Army and stationed at Fort Ord in Northern California.

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Meet Molly’s Gramps Stanley Bossuk. He served in the army at Fort Ord in Monterrey, California. He never went overseas. He was 20 years old when he served, and he is now 87.

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Meet Amelia's great-grandfather Umberto Cavaletto. He served as a captain in the Air Force during WW II. Captain Cavaletto was a navigator who got shot down over Italy and was a prisoner of war for 18 months.

Amelia's other grandfather was Bob Ajeman. He was an Army and Marine reserve. Ajeman was most proud to being part of the Army 81st Airborne in the 1950s.

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Meet Eli's Aunt Lisa's Uncle Nick Zancouridies. He served in Vietnam as a Sergeant E5 in the Marine Corps. 

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Meet Mrs. Yollis' uncle, Don Pfau! He is the soldier on the right. Uncle Don served in the Army in Korea in 1945. 

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This is Marcus' Grandpa Dixon. He was in the Navy and he served in Vietnam on a Destroyer Escort Ship. The purpose of his mission was to protect the Carrier Division of the Fleet from enemy submarines.

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Meet Airman Nelson, Coach Felicity's patriotic son. He serves in the Air Force and is stationed in Colorado.

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We thank all our veterans for their service to our country!   

Are any of your relatives or friends veterans?

Please tell us about them and thank them for their service!

What have you learned about Veterans Day? Please share!

Happy Independence Day, America!

This post was first published on July 4, 2010.

By Mrs. Yollis 

Buck says, Happy Birthday America!#doink @DoInkTweets #4thOfJuly pic.twitter.com/tALMm3BQFQ

— Linda Yollis (@lindayollis) July 4, 2016

July 4th is Independence Day in America!

On July 4, 1776, the Declaration of Independence was adopted by the Continental Congress in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. This document announced America's independence from Britain.

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Six years ago I was with my family on the Fourth of July, and we had a special event planned for the day.

My family had three old, tattered flags that needed to be retired. So on July 4th, we had a retirement ceremony.

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The United States Flag Code states: "The Flag, when it is in such condition that it is no longer a fitting emblem of display, should be destroyed in a dignified way, preferably by burning."

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First, we sang some patriotic songs!

Then, my cousin Jon gave a short speech. Finally, we retired the old flags to the fire.

Click here to learn how to fold an American flag. 

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How will you spend the Fourth of July?

Memorial Day 2016

Monday is Memorial Day in the United States. 

It is a national holiday!

Photo by Andrew's mom

Below are two Memorial Day posts from former students. Enjoy learning about Memorial Day through their experiences. 

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Guest post from Mallory, Mrs. Yollis' former student. First published in 2013

Two years ago, I celebrated Memorial Day with my mom and my Girl Scout troop in a special way. We went to the Los Angeles National Cemetery in Westwood to place American flags on the headstones of soldiers who have served our country in the military. There were so many other troops to help, including Daisies, Brownies, Girl Scouts, Cub Scouts, and Eagle Scouts.

Photo by Mallory's Mom

There was very specific way to place the flags. They had to be put 1 foot away from the headstone and 2 inches into the ground. Then we were told to stand and have a moment of silence to recognize and honor the soldier for their dedication to our country.

Photo by Mallory's Mom

I was very interested to read each soldier's headstone. Some fought in World War I, World War II, the Korean War, or the Vietnam War. There were many soldiers who even fought in more than one war.

This memorable experience inspired me to come home and learn more about Memorial Day. I found out many interesting facts on Wikipedia.

Memorial Day Facts:

• Memorial Day used to be called "Decoration Day" during the Civil War.
• It wasn't until after World War II that the name changed to Memorial Day.
• In 1967, it was declared a national holiday.
• There are 88,000 graves in the Los Angeles National Cemetery.

Photo by Mallory's Mom

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Andrew's post first published on Memorial Day 2011

Photo by Andrew's mom

Dear Mrs. Yollis,

Here are some pictures taken on Saturday at the VA Cemetery. Scouts from all over planted a flag at each gravestone, and then saluted. It is really an incredible and moving sight. Finn also was there. The second picture is a gravestone for a Medal of Honor recipient. There are only a handful at the cemetery. There are marked by special plaques and blue flags.

Enjoy your day off.
Andrew and Dana

Photo by Andrew's mom

How do you celebrate Memorial Day 

where you live?

Do you have anyone in your family who has served in the military?

What is the Medal of Honor?

Memorial Day :: A National Holiday

Guest post from Mallory, Mrs. Yollis' former student

This Monday is Memorial Day in the United States. 

It is a national holiday!

TWO YEARS AGO, I celebrated Memorial Day with my mom and my Girl Scout troop in a special way.  We went to the Los Angeles National Cemetery in Westwood to place American flags on the headstones of soldiers who have served our country in the military.   There were so many other troops to help, including Daisies, Brownies, Girl Scouts, Cub Scouts, and Eagle Scouts.

Photo by Mallory's Mom

There was a very specific way to place the flags.  They had to be put 1 foot away from the headstone and 2 inches into the ground.  Then we were told to stand and have a moment of silence to recognize and honor the soldier for their dedication to our country.

Photo by Mallory's Mom

I was very interested to read each soldier's headstone.  Some fought in World War I, World War II, the Korean War, or the Vietnam War.  There were many soldiers who even fought in more than one war.

This memorable experience inspired me to come home and learn more about Memorial Day.  I found out many interesting facts on Wikipedia.

Memorial Day Facts:
* Memorial Day used to be called "Decoration Day" during the Civil War.
* It wasn't until after World War II that the name changed to Memorial Day.
* In 1967, it was declared a national holiday.
* There are 88,000 graves in the Los Angeles National Cemetery.

Photo by Mallory's Mom

How do you celebrate Memorial Day where you live?

Do you have anyone in your family who has served in the military?

Happy Veterans Day!

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On November 11, America celebrates Veterans Day. It is the day we honor the men and women who have served in the armed forces. Veterans Day is a national holiday! 

Photo by Mrs. Yollis

Veterans: Men and women who have served in the armed forces.

Soldiers: Men and women who are currently serving in the armed forces.

★     ★     ★     ★     ★     

Here is a link to a wonderful BrainPop video entitled
Armed Forces. 

What did you learn about the 

army, navy, air force, marines, and coast guard?

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Here is a link to a wonderful Veterans Day blog post by Mrs. Hembree in Seattle, Washington. Read about her father-in-laws service and see photos from his Honor Flight to see the World War II Memorial in Washington, D.C.  

Photo honoring veterans at the World War II Memorial.

Photo by Joe Hembree

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In class, we will be sending holiday cards to active military personnel. Chance and Nate are in a Cub Scout Troop, and they provided the cards for the "Holiday Cards for the Troops" project. 

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Are any of your relatives or friends veterans?

Please tell us about them and thank them for their service to America!