Fifth-Grade Students Take Part in POW/MIA Recognition Day Observance

Fifth-grade students from M.W. Cuyler Elementary School spent Friday, September 19th, learning firsthand about service, sacrifice, and remembrance during a visit to the Red Creek Veterans Memorial for the annual POW/MIA Recognition Day ceremony.

National POW/MIA Recognition Day is observed on the third Friday of September and honors prisoners of war, those missing in action, and their families.

The ceremony was led by members of the Red Creek American Legion. Students learned what “POW” and “MIA” stand for (“Prisoners of War” and “Missing in Action”), and why it is important to remember. They were invited to walk by a symbolic table, which is set in honor of those who never came home. The ceremony concluded with a flyover, a moment that had students craning their necks and pointing upward in awe.

Principal Dennis Taylor emphasized that experiences like this build more than knowledge: “Not only is it part of our instruction about civics, but it also reminds our students and staff to honor the men and women who served but never made it back home. This is one more way we teach about responsibility and empathy for others.”

Cuyler Elementary students will continue exploring these themes throughout the year. Fourth-graders will learn about “Americanism” from the Fair Haven Legion and the Fair Haven Auxiliary in November, and the school’s Flag Day assembly in June will feature another flyover, further highlighting the importance of civic responsibility and remembrance.