By Matt Hersh

Jamie Shore stood in front of a room full of more than 400 peers and community members on Monday, Nov. 3, at Woodbury School.

“Be proud of these veterans – they kept us safe and sure,” she said. “These mighty men and women are too good to ignore.”

Shore was one of several sixth-grade speakers at the school’s Veterans Breakfast, held every year to honor local war veterans.

The event, which is put on by the sixth-grade class, was attended by hundreds of people from the Salem area, including more than 100 veterans, as well as Gov. John Lynch and Sen. Charlie Bass.

Shore was chosen along with a few others from the class to read a poem she wrote about Veterans Day.  She said it was an honor.

Students were given the opportunity to write such a poem as extra credit.  A handful were chosen to speak in front of the crowd.

“It felt good because they’ve done so much for us,” said Leawndra Oseghali, who also read to the crowd.
In addition to speeches given by students, the event also featured speeches by Lynch, Bass and keynote speaker Brad Newbury, a Salem firefighter who served in Iraq.

Newbury said he attended the event last year and decided he wanted to be a speaker this year.
Members of the student council presented the veterans with flag-shaped pins and performances were given by the sixth-grade chorus and jazz band.

Toward the end of the hour-long event, a video was played, showing local veterans, including Cpl. Nicholas Arvanitis and Robert L. Moscillo, who were both killed in Iraq recently.

“It’s pretty apparent that this community has strong military ties,” Newbury said.  “I think it is important to show younger generations to appreciate veterans.”

The event encourages students to think about the importance of Veterans Day, according to Maura Palmer, the school’s principal.

“To many, it’s just a day off from school,” she said.  “But I don’t think there are any students who weren’t touched by what they saw here today.”

The breakfast also was a nice way for the community to come together for a good cause, she said.

Palmer, who recently filled the principal position at the school, had never attended the breakfast before.

“I had always heard about it from community member and parents,” she said.  “But this exceeded my expectations by far.”