CORONADO, Calif. — Veterans and military families filled Coronado Middle School this week for the sixteenth Take a Veteran to School Day, a Veterans Day tradition that connects students with the service members in their lives. Spectrum and a cable television partner put on the event, which gathered families for breakfast and a chance to thank veterans.
One student spent the morning with his father, a Navy captain. The family says Coronado is their fifth school district, and while military life is not always easy on a family, they are grateful to belong to a community where they feel supported. The captain, a Navy officer for over two decades, praised the district for working to integrate military families and said events like this one remind families that they are wanted and valued in the town. He also said the morning offered a chance to reflect on what unites people and why service members swear an oath to the Constitution.
Spectrum’s Justin Serrano, an associate vice president of field operations, described the morning as a small gesture of thanks and a lesson for students in appreciating those who served, noting that many of their own families are serving now. As in past years, the entire school turned out to close the program with the Line of Gratitude, a corridor of students waving flags for veterans and their families to walk through.
The event has deep roots on the island. City Councilmember Amy Steward, then an educator, brought the program to Coronado following a Washington, D.C., meeting with the head of a cable television network, and the first Take a Veteran to School Day was held in 2009 at Village Elementary School, timed to the Marine Corps birthday. It moved to the middle school when Steward transferred there. Over the years it has featured a Medal of Honor recipient’s address, parachute jumps onto campus, student performances and video calls with deployed parents. Spectrum has sponsored it every year, and last year’s 15th event drew roughly 200 students, veterans and guests.