CD a hit with military (9/10/05)

FORT RECOVERY — Jayne Evans didn’t fully realize the impact her patriotic music project held last spring until she recently received a letter from a soldier serving in Iraq.

The letter was sent to the Fort Recovery Elementary School music teacher and last year’s fifth grade class. The students performed — while being recorded live — their spring musical “Let Freedom Reign!!! Overseas Military Project, Class of 2012.”

The program and recorded CD included songs and speeches from the fifth graders. Evans asked students to write a paragraph about “What My Country Means to Me” or “What the Military Means to Me.”

“The writings were very impressive for fifth grade,” Evans said. There were 160 entries, and she chose 12 students to read their speeches in between songs sung at the program.

One of the songs, “Come Home Soon,” was written by the students and Evans. “It went so well, we had it written in one week,” Evans said.

While the songs were being performed, a PowerPoint presentation was played featuring photographs of local men and women and friends and family members of the students that are in the military.

The entire program was recorded live by Fort Recovery resident Buck May, owner of Mays’ TV in Fort Recovery. Copies were then sent to friends and relatives of students and Fort Recovery residents who are in the military.

May donated his time for the project, and the school district covered all the other costs. “The community is very giving,” Evans said.

Spc. Carla Schmiesing of the United States Army, sent a letter of thanks recently to Evans and her students.

“I cannot express how much your CD meant to me. Thank you so much. I played it as loud as I could so everyone in the building could hear it. My unit commander, my platoon sergeant and everyone I work with flocked to the door asking me who was singing. ‘Only the best class from Ohio!’ I said. I am the only person in my unit from Ohio, so I have to gloat about my Ohio background,” Schmie-sing’s letter stated.

Students also had a t-shirt design contest to coincide with the patriotic performance. There were 45 entries, and students voted on their favorite design. David Tobe, 11, now a sixth grade student at Fort Recovery Middle School, was the winner. His design featured an eagle with a flag background.

Tobe, the son of Lester and Theresa Tobe, used that because “The flag was part of it because it symbolizes our national freedom, and the eagle because it’s our national bird, so I used that.”

The shirts were printed through Fort Recovery local business the Purple Post. Students paid half of the cost to purchase their shirts, and the school paid the rest.

Elementary school principal Nancy Knapke had high praise for Evans and the project.

“Jayne has such a history of doing such wonderful things,” Knapke said. “Oh my gosh, how can she do anything more impressive the next time?”[[In-content Ad]]