National Park Week: Visit Yosemite and Sequoia Parks

 This week is National Park Week! The hashtag is #NationalParkWeek.  America has so many beautiful parks to visit!

Grace is sharing two wonderful national parks today, Yosemite and Sequoia!

Yosemite National Park 

Here is Grace's trip to Yosemite! Yosemite National Park was established in 1890 and is found in the state of California. It is usually open all year, however, sometimes it closes for heavy snow or flooding. This park is about 760,000 acres and it has a lot of wildlife. Tourists might see mule deer, ground squirrels, bears, marmots, and a lot of birds. Remember, never feed wild animals! 

See Half Dome in the background! This giant is made of granite and many mountain climbers like to ascend the face. 

Grace and her family hiked up to Mariposa Grove to see the giant sequoia trees. Mariposa Grove has hundreds of giant sequoias. One tree is called the Grizzly Giant and it is approximately 1900-2400 years old! It stands about 210 feet tall. Wow!

Sequoia-Kings Canyon National Park 

Sequoia-Kings Canyon National Parks are also located in California. The General Sherman tree is a highlight for tourists. This tree is the largest tree in the world by VOLUME. It is 275 feet tall and is quite a beauty. 

If you could visit one of these national parks, what would you like to do or see? 

Which was your favorite photo from Grace's trips and why? 

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 the 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 Mrs. Yollis' Uncle Don who served in the Army from 1945-1946. He served in Korea and earned the rank of T-5. This was a non-combat technical rank. 

Meet Mrs. Yollis' great-great-great-grandfather who served in the Union Army during the Civil War. His name was John Adam Pfau. 

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Meet Scarlett's great grandfather who was a veteran. His name was Major William Robert Graham and he served in the Air Force during WWII.  Major Graham participated in the European Theater with 5 campaign stars.

Meet Scarlett's great-grandfather, Robert Sigurd Haugen, who served in intelligence in WWII. He is pictured next to Scarlett's grandfather, Robert Peter Haugen who served in the Naval Air Force during Vietnam and the Six-Day War in the Middle East. 

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Meet Fletcher's grandfather who was the in U. S. Navy as a Hospital Corpsman from January 1966 to December 1969. As a Hospital Corpsman, he worked in the Great Lakes Naval Hospital, the Great Lakes Naval Station Dispensary, and the Navy Supply Corp School Dispensary (in Athens, Georgia). While he was stationed in Athens, he was promoted to Hospital Corpsman 2nd Class. (See photo below.) In December 1969, he was transferred out of Vietnam to Okinawa and then to Long Beach, California for discharge from active service.

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Meet Olivia's grandpa, whom she calls Bobo! His name is Roger and he served in the US Army in Maryland from 1962-1964. 

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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!