Schools throughout the Daviess County Public Schools district are planning a variety of events to commemorate Veterans Day and express appreciation to the men and women who have served our country and protected our freedoms. The following activities are LISTED BY TIME/DATE. DCPS extends a special invitation to all Veterans to attend these events as our honored guests; please contact schools for more information. Media partners are invited to attend any/all of these programs and to share coverage with our community. Contact information and school locations are provided in the list below; all phone numbers have area code 270.
In addition – The DCPS Board of Education and all Daviess County Public Schools invite active service and retired Veterans to attend all regular season events, including athletic events, concerts and performances, free of charge as our honored guests.
Meadow Lands Elementary School will honor family members of MLES students and staff who are veterans of the U.S. armed forces in a special program at 12:30 p.m. Monday, Nov. 5. The ceremony will include guest speaker Daviess County Sheriff Keith Cain, a U.S. Marine Corps veteran who served in Vietnam. The program will also feature a presentation of colors by the Daviess County High School Navy JROTC, musical selection, special messages of appreciation from MLES fifth-grade students, and a video tribute to veterans. Refreshments will be served to all Veterans who attend as honored guests.
The Daviess County High School choir, band, drama and orchestra departments are hosting “A Patriotic Salute” at 6 p.m. Monday, Nov. 5. The free concert is open to the public with a special invitation extended to all Veterans. The school will also host a breakfast at 7:30 a.m. Friday, Nov. 9, in the school cafeteria. All veterans are invited to attend as special guests. A program will begin at 8:30 a.m. in the auditorium, featuring the DCHS Choir singing the National Anthem and guest speaker Nick Hetman on “What Does It Mean to Be a Veteran.” The program will include with an invitation for all veterans in attendance to stand by their flag of service.
Sorgho Elementary School will host Cathy Mullins in a special Veterans Day program on Wednesday, Nov. 7. Veterans are invited to enjoy muffins and coffee at 8:30 a.m., followed by the program at 9 a.m. Mullins is a Blue Star Mother whose son and son-in-law are on active duty in the U.S. Army. Her middle son, SPC Brandon Scott Mullins, was killed in Afghanistan in August 2011. The Apollo High School JROTC and Drill Team will perform; AHS senior Emma O’Bryan will be the instrumentalist. Sorgho students will also take part in this program through singing, speaking and playing instruments.
Heritage Park High School will welcome former Owensboro Mayor and U.S. Navy veteran Ron Payne as guest speaker at the school’s annual Salute to Veterans at 10 a.m. Wednesday, Nov. 7. The program will take place in the Cliff Hagan Boys and Girls Club gymnasium, 3415 Buckland Square.
Highland Elementary School will host a Veterans Day program at 8:30 a.m. Thursday, Nov. 8. Guest speaker is Nick Hetman.
Burns Middle School is honored to host special guests Josh Bratcher and Cathy Mullins at 9 a.m. Thursday, Nov. 8. Bratcher will share his experiences as a U.S. military veteran and Mrs. Mullins will share personal stories about her son, Spec. Brandon Scott Mullins, who was killed while in service to our country in Afghanistan in August 2011. The program will include the presentation of colors by the Apollo JROTC. BMS students will share essays and inspirational poems.
Southern Oaks Elementary School will host a reception for veterans at 1 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 8, followed by a patriotic assembly in the gymnasium and a parade around the school building.
Deer Park Elementary School will host a complimentary breakfast for veterans at 7 a.m. Friday, Nov. 9. Cost for non-veteran guests is $2.50. A special program is planned at 7:45 a.m., featuring fourth-grade students performing musical selections. Guest speaker is Lt. Col. Scott Taylor, a veteran and member of the U.S. National Guard who is currently serving as Daviess County Public Schools student services coordinator.
East View Elementary School invites veterans for coffee and refreshments at 7:30 a.m. Friday, Nov. 9, followed by a special performance at 8 a.m. featuring second- and third-grade students. All veterans will receive a gift as a token of appreciation for their service to our country.
Daviess County High School will host a breakfast at 7:30 a.m. Friday, Nov. 9, in the school cafeteria. All veterans are invited to attend as special guests. A program will begin at 8:30 a.m. in the auditorium, featuring the DCHS Choir singing the National Anthem and guest speaker Nick Hetman on “What Does It Mean to Be a Veteran.” The program will include with an invitation for all veterans in attendance to stand by their flag of service. In addition, the DCHS choir, band, drama and orchestra departments are hosting “A Patriotic Salute” at 6 p.m. Monday, Nov. 5; see above. The free concert is open to the public with a special invitation extended to all Veterans.
Apollo High School invites all veterans to a special breakfast at 7:45 a.m. Friday, Nov. 9, in the Auxiliary Gym, followed by a program at 8:30 a.m. AHS teacher and head football coach Phillip Hawkins will deliver an inspirational message.
Burns Elementary School will celebrate Veterans Day with a schoolwide program that begins with a parade through the hallways at 8 a.m. Friday, Nov. 9, followed by an assembly in the gymnasium. Guest speaker is Nelson Morphew, father of two BES Bobcats, who is currently serving in the U.S. Army Reserve as a chief warrant officer and Black Hawk helicopter pilot. The program will also include special music and recognition of all Veterans in attendance.
Country Heights Elementary School will host a Veterans Day assembly at 8:30 a.m. Friday, Nov. 9. Student leaders will facilitate the program, which will feature the CHES choir and the presentation of colors by the Boy Scouts. Tommy Wieder and Lt. Col. Derek Schneider are guest speakers. Wieder served in the U.S. Army during World War II, and he is the great-grandfather of two children who attend Country Heights. Wieder will share remarks and memories with students and those in attendance. He and four of his brothers were drafted during WWII. Of the 10 boys in his family, five served in active military duty, two served in civilian status (building tanks) and three were considered to have “aged out.” While serving, Wieder was the assistant to the adjutant general of the Pacific. Schneider served as an armor officer in the U.S. Army in West Germany and as a tank platoon leader in Operation Desert Storm. He served as a member of the United Nations Peacekeepers, earning his cavalry spurs and the nickname “The Fox.” He earned two Bronze Stars and worked on behalf of the Iraqi people while serving as a civil affairs officer, rebuilding 32 schools, eight water treatment plants and two bridges, among other projects; and was named “Hero of the Week” for providing 20,000 students with school supplies.
Tamarack Elementary School will honor TES students’ relatives who are Veterans of the U.S. armed forces during a special ceremony at 1 p.m. Friday, Nov. 9. The program will feature the Apollo High School JROTC cadets and guest speakers Jeremy Camron and Cathy Mullins. Camron served as a U.S. Navy hospital corpsman from 1993-97 and Mullins is president of the local chapter of Gold Star Mothers. The TES Singing Stars will perform and artwork created by Tamarack students will be displayed.
Audubon Elementary School invites all Veterans to attend a free breakfast at 6:50 a.m. Monday, Nov. 12, followed by a patriotic program at 7:30 a.m. featuring the AES choir.
West Louisville Elementary School will host a special breakfast at 7 a.m. Monday, Nov. 12, followed by a program at 8 a.m. WLES students will perform a variety of patriotic songs, including “One Nation” and a military medley, and students will share their writings about Veterans Day and patriotism. Guest speaker is Melody Wallace, a veteran of the U.S. Navy. She is a former English teacher who taught at Sorgho Elementary School and Daviess County Middle School, and is currently a reporter/writer for The Owensboro Times.
Daviess County Middle School will host Lt. Cmdr. Stephen White in a special program at 8:30 a.m. Monday, Nov. 12. White joined the U.S. Navy after graduating from high school in 1972, serving on numerous ships during four deployments to the Pacific, Indian and Atlantic oceans. He also lived in Japan and Iceland while in the Navy. Since his retirement from active duty, he has served as a Navy JROTC instructor for 23 years, including his current role as senior naval science instructor at DCHS for the past eight years. The DCHS Navy JROTC will present the colors during this program.
College View Middle School will host Cathy Mullins and the Apollo High School JROTC at 2 p.m. Monday, Nov. 12. Mullins is the mother of Spec. Brandon Mullins, who was killed in Afghanistan in 2011.
Whitesville Elementary School invites all Veterans to attend lunch with their children/grandchildren on Friday, Nov. 16. The appreciation luncheon will include patriotic musical selections performed by WES students. Veterans are also invited to tour “The Whitesville Honor Museum,” which features WES students performing as “wax museum” figures; and student presentation boards with photographs of local community veterans. The Whitesville Historical Society will have a special display sharing history related to branches of the U.S. military.