During the Board of Education meeting following Memorial Day, the district received a special gift honoring the nation's war veterans from Freeport High School alum U.S. Army Staff Sergeant Samuel Rodriguez.
Staff Sergeant Rodriguez, who has returned home from serving in Afghanistan, presented a framed American flag that was flown over Afghanistan and a certificate to the high school. High School Principal Linda Carter, FHS JROTC advisor Major Donald Moore and members of the school's JROTC, who were also in attendance, were presented with this remarkable patriotic memento. The members of the board of education, administration and community residents showed their appreciation to Sergeant Rodriguez with a standing ovation.
"We cannot thank you enough for your selfless service to our nation," said Superintendent of Schools Dr. Kishore Kuncham."You are a hero in every sense of the word, and your gift to us will not only have a special place in our school, but a special place in our hearts."
The meeting, which was held at Columbus, also featured a performance by the school's kindergarten students, who sang about the lessons they learned throughout the year, such as counting, reading and shapes.
The certificate presentation spotlighted community pride following a national day of observance, and the Columbus performance served as a way for the students and their families to look back on the 2015 school year as is comes to a close.