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K-State Today

November 18, 2021

College of Education's Military Initiative: Operation Veterans Day

Submitted by Sarah Harper

Each year on Nov. 11, Veterans Day is celebrated. Veterans Day is about honoring and supporting those who have served our country. This year, Dustin Meritt, the chair of the College of Education's Military Initiative, wanted to do something special for our veterans working in education. His only objective, to thank and honor the veterans in schools across Manhattan.

And he did just that. Meritt visited four schools in USD 383. He began this mission at Marlatt Elementary, then Eisenhower Middle School and the Manhattan High School East and West campuses. At each stop, he made sure to locate a veteran or veterans, personally thank them, award them with a special edition Military Initiative EdCats T-shirt and certificate of appreciation before diving in to talk to them a bit about the College of Education Military Initiative. We wanted to emphasize how incredibly proud we are of the veterans who chose to serve through education after their service to our country. We hope to continue this honorable distinction for the years to come.

"Our military members, their families, and our veterans play a very important role in our communities. We value the perspectives and experiences that they bring along with their dedication to service. The College of Education is especially fond of those who have continued to serve as valuable members within our local schools. On Veterans Day, we wanted to reach out and do something for these folks and honor them as veterans, along with acknowledging our appreciation for their continued service to our community. Currently, there is a nationwide shortage of teachers and support staff that work in education. Knowing that we have such a large group of veterans working in our schools is reassuring. The field of education can be an excellent career path for veterans to take, and they deserve to be recognized for both areas of service," Meritt said, after serving and then becoming part of the educational journey himself.

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