January 14,2011
In November, we asked CVA students to submit posters in honor of Veterans Day 2010. We received many great entries that expressed thanks to veterans and shared family stories. It was a tough decision to only select three winners, and we thank all the students who shared their posters.
Here are the winners:
by Amanda Smith, 3rd grade
Amanda says, "This picture touches my heart! To think all those people died for us, for our freedom! We should never forget them! That is what the poppy flowers are for, in remembrance."
Judge's comments: "Amanda's drawing showing a cemetery filled with poppies and crosses expressed the cost of our freedom. The flag and sunshine illustrated the enduring hope that veterans' lives are not lost in vain."
by Camille Smith, 6th grade
Judge's comments: "Camille's poster entry was simple, but showed a great deal of effort in her pencil drawing of a soldier in dress uniform. I could tell that she was invested in the message of appreciation to our men and women in uniform."
by Colton Clouter, 7th grade
Cole says, "My inspiration for my artwork is my Grampa Nick. He was in the army. He got three purple hearts for courage because he was wounded during combat in the jungles of Vietnam.... When he got wounded the last time, a helicopter came and rescued him, so that's why I added the helicopter into the picture. I also think he is cool because he was the boldest one, he was the guy with the radio - he was called an RTO and always got shot at first. The reason my grampa was an RTO was his dad, my great-Grampa was an RTO for the Army in the Korean War. My Grampa Nick uses a cane to walk now because of his injuries from the shrapnel. My mom showed us a lot of monuments to honor veterans and I wanted to show my appreciation for my grampa and all our veterans and soldiers by my artwork."
Judge's comments: "Cole's poster illustrated how personal Veterans' Day is to him, giving an account of his Grandpa who served in Vietnam, earning three Purple Hearts. He researched the Purple Heart and added its definition to the poster. While other students similarly created posters of family involvement in the military, what tipped the scale for Cole was his originality in coloring the background camouflage with a helicopter. To me, that heightened my sense that Cole understands war costs much in the day-to-day battles that are waged to protect not only our freedoms, but those of others around the globe."