Soule Road Middle School Principal Robert Sheitz

LIVERPOOL, NY--When April's father, a Senior Airman, was called to active duty and was sent to the Middle East, the young girl was sad and frightened. But the faculty and students at Soule Road Middle School, Liverpool, NY, rallied around her, and became supporters of an entire Air National Guard Squadron.

Under the direction of Choir Director Angie Peterson, the chorus performed patriotic songs as well as holiday songs, in concert in December, 2001. A CD of the concert was made, and sent to the Squadron along with cards and letters written by the students.

When asked about what the school's support meant to Senior Airman Ron A., he said,"My daughter was having a hard time with my being gone. The whole school got behind her, to help, and that was really important.

"When we got the CD, which arrived actually a month after Christmas, and we heard the songs, we knew even though we were far away, we were not alone. We were still being thought of. It felt just great."

In the late March 2002, the Squadron returned home. Four of its members came to Soule Road to participate in the Spring Concert, and to express their gratitude for the school's support. There, in a ceremony described by Principal Robert Sheitz as "incredibly moving", the Squadron presented the school with the American flag which had resided inside a KC 135 refuelling plane, as it flew its missions.

The next week, students were treated to a multimedia presentation about the men and women of the 174th squadron who are serving the United States in the Middle East and about the events of 9/11. The images were accompanied by one of the students' songs on the CD, "Voices That Care".

"I thought it was the highlight of my career,"says Mr. Sheitz, of the flag presentation. "It was just unbelievable."

Mr. Sheitz is modest. The school not only supported the Air National Guard Squadron, but a year earlier, had raised about $1000 for the World War II memorial. In the fall of 2001, the school donated barrels of work socks for the rescue and recovery efforts at Ground Zero in New York City. They also collected and donated soap, to "wash away the dirt and ashes of September 11," as April A. later wrote. Penny drives at Soule Road resulted in a $1000 contribution to The Red Cross, for victims of 9/11. Seventh graders from the school entered the VFW's national essay competition, Freedom is Never Really Free, and have made it to the state level so far. And, last year, Soule Road Middle School was the only middle school in NY state to be named a National Blue Ribbon School of Excellence, the highest honor awarded by the U.S. Department of Education.

But that is not all. Under the combined direction of art and English teachers Ms. Sapareto, Ms. Bonner, and Mr. McCrone, many seventh and eighth grade students contributed to the making of a spectacular ten foot mural of the American flag, titled "They Thought they weakened our country but they only strengthened our spirit." The mural displays thoughts, words and images relating to the events of 9/11. Wiith multicultural faces where the stars go, and a collage of hands of all colors and sizes, in the lower right corner of the flag, the mural depicts multicultural diversity and unity of purpose and ideals. It also carries scads of small notes expressing student's sentiments such as those to the left.

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