OPERATION EDUCATION SPOTLIGHT

Honor Flight Chicago has partnered with Dever Elementary School for multiple years now, and the partnership has led to some truly memorable moments. The students and staff at the school have worked tirelessly to find ways to connect with veterans and learn from their experience. That is why the team at Honor Flight Chicago was so proud that in 2019, Dever was named the Obama Foundation’s first-ever Civic Culture and Commitment Award recipeient.

The Foundation stated that Dever was honored “for integrating civics education into all grade levels and prioritizing student voice by including students in administrative meetings and school decision-making … Dever’s commitment to civic learning is strengthened by civics best practices such as discussion and deliberation, and taking informed action in all disciplines.”

That integration is exactly what the school has done with Honor Flight Chicago. Students have organized a school wide event for Veteran’s Day that saw them responsible for inviting 30 veterans to Dever, planning a meet and greet, budgeting and purchasing food for the veterans, creating lessons across all grade levels about the importance of the military and veterans and teaching, and assisting veterans in question/answer sessions.

The students have also written hundreds of “Thank you” letters that have been shared with senior war heroes as part of Mail Call on our veterans’ return flight home from Washington, D.C.

Beyond that, social studies teacher Mandy Guzman created a specialized curriculum that led to the development of a seventh- and eighth-grade elective course that is all about Honor Flight Chicago.