GREEN VALLEY, Ariz. (KGUN) — Students at the Continental School District took time this week to honor local military members through a heartfelt Veterans Day tribute, an event entirely organized and led by the school’s Builders Club.
The annual celebration brought together students, teachers, and local veterans to recognize the sacrifices made by those who have served. Guest speakers from the Arizona Rangers and the Marine Reserves spoke about the importance of community service and self-improvement through education.
“We live in Green Valley, where we have many veterans who volunteer at our school,” said Steven Lathen, Director of Student Services at Continental Elementary School. “We like to take the opportunity every year to recognize them, their efforts, their service, and the freedom we’re able to enjoy because of what they’ve given.”
Lathen says the Builders Club planned every part of the event, from scheduling speakers and arranging performances to making posters and inviting the school’s cheer team to show their support.
“They plan the event and they schedule the speakers to come, they schedule the various songs and arrangements, and they put it on themselves,” he said. “Along with that, they make the posters and invite the cheerleading squad to cheer for our veterans as well.”
For Builders Club member Anna Sofia Melendez Allen, the event is about more than one day of appreciation.
“We do a lot of food drives and other events to help our community,” she said. “That’s what our veterans do — selflessness and serving for us.”
The Builders Club focuses on leadership and community service throughout the year, organizing food drives, talent shows, and other outreach efforts. School leaders say those experiences help shape well-rounded students who understand the importance of teamwork, respect, and giving back.
“Our clubs, our academics, our sports — all of that is not just to create a student who can test well, but one who can communicate with adults, lead a team, and be part of a team,” Lathen said. “We want to create leaders who think more about our community than just themselves.”
This year’s Veterans Day tribute follows another point of pride for Continental Elementary, which recently earned an “A” grade from the Arizona Department of Education for the second year in a row.
Up next, the school’s fourth-grade Kindness Club will host an event on Thursday, November 13, in honor of World Kindness Day, continuing a weeklong focus on gratitude and community connection.
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Joel Foster is a multimedia journalist at KGUN 9 who previously worked as an English teacher in both Boston and the Tucson area. Joel has experience working with web, print and video in the tech, finance, nonprofit and the public sectors. In his off-time, you might catch Joel taking part in Tucson's local comedy scene. Share your story ideas with Joel at joel.foster@kgun9.com, or by connecting on Facebook, Instagram or X.
