Allen Elementary students, grades three through five, showed their appreciation for veterans this year in a special way. They participated in a fundraiser in which they raised money to purchase veterans a new hat with the military emblem they served in. Candice Smith, a fifthgrade teacher from Allen, heard about the idea via a friend and decided this would be a great project for the elementary students.

Candice is a former veteran herself, serving in the Oklahoma National Guard from February 2001-2010. She joined the National Guard to help build self-esteem, pay for college and get to travel and see interesting places. Originally, she was to serve one weekend a month and two weeks in the summer, but with the tragedy of 9/11 came “Operation Enduring Vision” and her orders quickly changed. She was deployed to Tinker Air-Force base where she served for two years. A few years later, Hurricane Katrina hit and she was then deployed to Tupelo, Mississippi where she flew bottled water to areas and people in need. Then, in 2007, Candice was deployed to Camp Cropper in Iraq where she served as a prison guard. This, by far, was her scariest assignment where she truly displayed heroic actions.

Candice shared her experiences from the military with the Allen students, and how she learned to build self-esteem, have pride for her country, and the importance of family and brotherhood. The best part is, they did more than just fundraise; they researched all branches of the military and previous wars. Candice said they began to connect with veterans, and understand what veterans did for our country, sacrificing everything to serve.

Candice, along with the help of their teachers (Lisa Peay, Tee Henry, Pam Sanders and Taylor Colbert) raised enough money to purchase 147 hats to give to veterans! Their teachers were so proud of the hard work they put into this project. The students were also proud to be a part of something so important and learned what it really meant to appreciate a veteran and honor them on Veterans Day.