Latest news with #LongfellowElementarySchool
Yahoo
27-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Portland Memorial Day event honors veterans who died in active duty
May 26—At about 2:30 p.m. on Monday, a man's voice rang out through Evergreen Cemetery. "Where have all the soldiers gone? Long time ago. Where have all the soldiers gone? Gone to graveyards, every one," he sang, accompanying himself on acoustic guitar as he crooned Peter Paul and Mary's "Where Have all the Flowers Gone." A group of children dressed in white traipsed through the cemetery with flowers in their arms, which they laid on the graves of fallen soldiers. This marked the halfway point of a Memorial Day event that began with a parade from Longfellow Elementary School to the cemetery, where speakers took to the stage to honor the seven veterans buried there who died in active duty. "I don't want these guys to be forgotten, they had hopes and dreams like everyone and they came home in a box," said Bobbi Cope, 70, who organized the event. Cope, who has lived in Deering Center all her life, remembers a small local parade celebrating Memorial Day in the neighborhood when she was a kid. Her father and uncles were all veterans and she would usually attend with her family. "I thought, wouldn't it be nice if we had something like that again in Deering Center," she said. So, in 2013, she decided to organize the Deering Center Memorial Day Procession and Commemoration. She's held the event every year since. As the kids returned to their seats, the name of each soldier killed in active duty was read out, followed by the chime of a bell. A band played "Amazing Grace" on bagpipes. A group of veterans fired a three-volley salute. A white tent was set up, shading a stage with portraits of the dead soldiers, decorated with wreaths. There was a moment of silence. Those who couldn't fit under the tent were spread out on the grass, sitting in lawn chairs and on picnic blankets. Dogs barked. Babies cried. In the front row sat David Whitten, 79, who was awarded four Purple Hearts during his service in Vietnam. He held his hand to his chest as the event wound down. "I'm very impressed and very surprised. I've never seen anybody in Portland proud like this," he said. It was his first time attending the event. Whitten said when he first returned from Vietnam at age 22, he faced hate for having served in the unpopular war. People spat on him and called him names. At the event on Monday, he was honored for his service. "This means everything," he said. Whitten enlisted in the Army after high school and served two tours in Vietnam. He said he watched multiple friends die there and was badly injured in combat. He said that 15 men from his class at Portland High School were killed in Vietnam. "I don't regret going to Vietnam," he said. "The only thing I really regret is coming home. I wish that some of my friends that died could have come home and I could have died." Whitten said he struggled after his return from Vietnam 57 years ago. He said he had several suicide attempts and had trouble feeling at home in the years after the war. But a few years ago, when he connected with the Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 6859, it changed everything. "That turned my life around, meeting other people who'd been through it," he said. After the event, a group of VFW members picked Whitten up and took him to the post on Forest Avenue. The parking lot was full. On the deck, someone grilled, and people greeted Whitten like he was an old friend. Long after the white plastic chairs were folded up and the tent in Evergreen Cemetery was taken down, Whitten sat at the bar, shoulder to shoulder with other veterans on Memorial Day. Copy the Story Link
Yahoo
12-03-2025
- Yahoo
Muncie woman charged with murder in Texas child's drowning death
MUNCIE, Ind. — A Muncie woman has been charged with murder in the drowning death of a 4-year-old girl in Houston. According to court documents filed in Harris County, Texas, the child's death took place on Sept. 9, 2023, after Nakia Nash Nicole Martin, now 39, said she was baptizing the girl in a bathtub. Other children in the house said Martin — who was babysitting them — held the girl under the water until she stopped moving. The Muncie woman — a former employee of Muncie Community Schools — didn't call 911 dispatchers until the following day, according to an affidavit. She later reportedly told police she "didn't mean to kill this baby." The murder count filed by officials in the Harris County district attorney's office would allow prosecutors to request a sentence of life imprisonment without parole — or a death sentence — should Martin be convicted. The murder count was filed against Martin in December. She is being held in the Harris County Jail in Houston under a $2 million bond. The Muncie woman — formerly of Gary and Indianapolis — was reportedly a cousin of the dead child's mother. The victim's mother told an investigator with the Harris County Sheriff's Department she "had a close relationship with Nakia and arranged for her to watch the children while she was out of town." She said Martin was "sounding strange" in a FaceTime call on the day of her child's death. The mother said that call "was the last time she saw her daughter alive." In January, Martin was charged in Muncie City Court with criminal trespass, a misdemeanor, over an incident that allegedly took place on Nov. 11. She was arrested in Muncie on the Texas charge on Dec. 10 and reportedly waived extradition. Martin was a "full-time permanent building substitute" at Longfellow Elementary School from August 2016 until September 2022, according to Andy Klotz, chief communication officer for Muncie Community Schools. Martin "resigned to accept other employment," Klotz said. Douglas Walker is a news reporter for The Star Press. Contact him at 765-213-5851 or at dwalker@ This article originally appeared on Muncie Star Press: Muncie woman charged with murder in child's drowning death
Yahoo
20-02-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Longfellow Elementary Snack Pack project, food drive unites Mitchell School District
Feb. 19—MITCHELL — Longfellow Elementary School's Den B students recently spearheaded a district-wide food drive, collecting 3,584 items to benefit the Snack Pack program. The initiative, led by teacher Marissa Abts, involved elementary, middle, and high schools across the district. Initially, the project began solely with Longfellow's second-, third-, fourth-, and fifth-grade students in Den B. However, the group soon expanded its vision to include the entire school district. Each level was assigned specific food items: elementary schools gathered various snack items, middle school students donated canned goods, and high schoolers contributed larger staples such as pancake mix, peanut butter, jelly, syrup, and cereal. The collection drive spanned approximately two and a half weeks. After gathering donations, Den B students took the lead in collecting, sorting, and counting the contributions. "Longfellow kids absolutely rocked this," Abts said. "They were so excited. Being able to take my kids to pick everything up and deliver it was a full-circle moment for them. It helped them see the entire process and understand how many people they were helping." The drive is part of an ongoing tradition within Longfellow's Den B, which organizes a service project each year. Previous projects have included visiting nursing homes, supporting the local community center, holding a coin drive for pet rescue, and more. This year's effort was driven by Abts' new role as a board member for the Snack Pack program. "I knew the Snack Pack program made a big impact, but I didn't realize how much went into it until I became a board director," Abts said. "That made it the perfect focus for our project this year." The success of the drive highlights the commitment of students and teachers to community service, with Longfellow's Den B leading the way in supporting local families in need. Taylor Magnuson and Lillian Miller, both students involved in the project, shared their excitement about the outcome. "It feels good knowing that we helped a lot of people." Miller said. "I just love making people happy and helping around," Magnuson added. Both students expressed interest in continuing similar efforts in the future, even outside of school. Snack Pack Director Ali Nicholson praised the students' efforts and highlighted the significance of their contribution. "It's really cool to see kids involved and understand what the Snack Pack program is about. Not all kids realize there are others who don't have access to food whenever they want it," Nicholson said. Nicholson estimated that the collected items would provide nearly two weeks' worth of supplies, feeding approximately 720 children. "We serve about 468 kids every week during the school year, giving each child five items for the weekend. This donation will go a long way," she said. Nicholson encouraged continued support for the program. "We always accept donations —monetary, food, or even saver stamps from the county fair. Every little bit helps and makes a huge difference," she said.
