Newfane Elementary students host lunch for local veterans and active military personnel
May 21—NEWFANE — Service was at the forefront for third- and fourth-grade students at Newfane Elementary School on Tuesday.
More than 100 local veterans and active-duty military personnel gathered for lunch served by members of the NES student senate. The annual luncheon is their way of saying thanks to service members present and past.
"It's made its way around. We're trying to reach out and touch as many communities as possible," Newfane Elementary teacher and student senate adviser Virginia Bower said.
Bower recalled that she started the luncheon 16 years ago and was partially inspired by her own father, who served in the Marines.
Third- and fourth-graders "used to go on a field trip to Albany, and then when I took over the student senate, I decided that instead of doing a field trip to stay local and give back to the community," she said.
One veteran at this year's luncheon was Don Coates of Olcott, who served in the Air Force during the Vietnam war from 1967 to 1968. Also a former substitute teacher in the Newfane district, he has attended the event for past few years.
Coates said the most noteworthy part of the luncheon for him was when the students set up the POW/MIA Missing Man Table just as it is in the Newfane American Legion post, of which he is a member.
Traditionally the table is set with a white tablecloth, a single candle, an inverted glass, a single red rose in a vase, with a ribbon tied around it, and a plate holding a slice of lemon and a small amount of salt.
"I'm glad they put this on and it's a good recognition," Coates said.
