IMS to honor Shamong vets with annual breakfast

Karen Clementi hopes to build upon last year’s success.

On Wednesday, Nov. 8, the students of Indian Mills Elementary School, in conjunction with the Shamong Township Education Association, will host a Veterans Day Breakfast from 8 a.m. to 9 a.m. in the IMS cafeteria. All military veterans of Shamong, whether they have family members attending IMS, are invited to take part in this free event in their honor.

One of the event’s co-chairs, Karen Clementi, who also teaches in the school’s gifted and talented program, hopes to build upon last year’s success. Last year, the event’s inaugural year, was a hit with the Shamong community, with 140 people attending.

“The whole staff is excited about it,” she said. “We had no idea what to expect last year and the turnout was so amazing. A lot of the veterans came in in their uniforms. It was very impressive.”

Clementi said she plans for the breakfast to become an annual event.

The event’s other co-chair is Kerry Haines, who also teaches at IMS.

Attendees can expect pancakes, fruit, coffee, quiche and “all kinds of breakfast foods,” according to Clementi, who noted the event will feature a buffet.

“The staff is involved in making delicious homemade goods” as well, Clementi said. “We had so much last year we had to give things away.”

In past years, students have written letters to soldiers, sent cards and letters to veterans homes, and had veterans speak before classes, according to a press release sent from the school. But as of last year, Clementi, Haines and others at IMS wanted to do something more.

“Every year, November gets really busy with a lot of activity and the children always do something for Veterans Day,” Clementi said, “but we really wanted to put the faces of the veterans in front of them.”
The township’s education association is supporting this event through its Project Pride Program, an initiative that funds projects “to promote the exceptional spirit and citizenship of our schools and our students,” according to a press release.

But most importantly, Clementi just wants to give back to those who fought for our country.

“We can’t connect with what they do on a day-to-day basis,” Clementi said. “We don’t even know most of them. It’s an amazing thing that they do, and we should have Veterans Day every day.”