May 21—NEWFANE — Service was paramount Tuesday for third- and fourth-grade students at Newfane Elementary School.
More than 100 local veterans and active-duty military gathered for lunch, served by members of the NES Student Senate. The annual luncheon is their way of saying thank you to attending and former service members.
“It’s found its way. We’re trying to reach out and reach as many communities as we can,” said Virginia Bower, a Newfane Elementary teacher and student senate advisor.
Bower recalled that she started the luncheon 16 years ago and was inspired in part by her own father, who served in the Marines.
Third and fourth graders “often went on field trips to Albany, and when I took over the student senate, I decided that instead of doing a field trip, I wanted to stay local and give back to the community,” she said.
A veteran at this year’s luncheon was Don Coates of Olcott, who served in the Air Force from 1967 to 1968 during the Vietnam War. He was also a former substitute teacher in the Newfane district and has attended the event in recent years.
Coates said the most remarkable part of the luncheon for him was when the students set up the POW/MIA Missing Man Table, just like the one at 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 with a slice of lemon and a small amount of salt.
“I’m glad they put this in and it’s good recognition,” Coates said.
