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11/14/2024 01:10 PMPress Release from Elena Ricardo
Twelve students who attend Deep River Elementary School were recently named the winners of the American Legion Post 61 essay contest. The students were recognized for their achievements when the school held its assembly in commemoration of Veterans Day.
The subject of the compositions written by the students was the production of gliders in Deep River by Pratt, Read & Company, which was originated in 1798 to process ivory. Gliders were less costly and easier to manufacture than a typical plane and landed almost silently, surprising any enemy. There was no engine, but they could soar and carry up to 13 people, or they were configured to carry up to 4,000 pounds of heavy equipment.
Students in 3rd, 4th, 5th, and 6th grade competed for cash prizes for their compositions on this topic. Students in 1st and 2nd grade entered drawings and painted artwork.
A unique feature of the Deep River Elementary School’s Veterans Day printed program allowed students to honor their own family veterans by listing their names and their relationship to a student. Some veteran relatives traveled from Suffolk County in Long Island in New York, one came from Chester, and others came from local sites to see their grandchildren’s assembly. The assembly featured the reading of the Pledge of Allegiance by kindergarten students, who were invited to do so by Principal Josh Torchia.
On Nov. 11, Deep River held its Veterans Day ceremony on the Veterans Green. One of the people in attendance was Alice Winschell Johnson, who has been a member of the American Legion Auxiliary for 86 years. Johnson is believes to be the oldest member in the nation and will celebrate her 99th birthday in November. Johnson’s father is a World War I veteran and a founding member of Deep River Post 61.