For years, former longtime teacher and field hockey coach Theresea Leonardi began – and maintained – a tradition of having her students send thank-you cards to Veterans in Honor Flight Syracuse.

After retiring last year, her replacement, Acacia Phillips took that mantle over. She and her students have made sure that tradition lives on, and will be sending their thank-you cards to the Veterans on the upcoming Honor Flight Mission 21, which is scheduled to take off on Saturday, September 28 at 6:30 a.m.

This is what the process entails, according to Phillips: 

Rob Scheoneck, from Honor Flight, provides Phillips with a list of Veterans names who are going on the upcoming Honor Flight. Then, Weedsport students make cards for every single veteran on the list. There are typically anywhere from 75-85 veterans listed (this year there are 77). The list includes information about their branch of military service and any conflict/mission they served in. 

Students then write cards personally to each veteran. They include a special thank  you, a slogan from the branch of military service that person served in, and then they sign their first name and grade level. The students “spend a ton of time decorating them and making them really nice for the veterans,” Phillips noted.

Following this, the Veterans receive a “mail call” package on the flight home. Inside the package are the students’ thank-you cards, a letter from Phillips herself, and a pin that was created by the senior government class a few years ago. 

This happens every year, twice a year, as Weedsport students will write thank you letters to the Veterans who go on the Honor Flight in the spring as well. Phillips said it is one of the highlights of the year, for both herself and her students.

“This project started with Theresea Leonardi, and I’m honored to continue the community service tradition,” she said. “She has always been devoted to honoring our local veterans and she made the connection with Honor Flight Syracuse.”

She added that she is always pleasantly surprised by the thoughtfulness that the students put into the project.

“Every time I do this my favorite cards are the ones that include something personalized for each veteran,” Phillips said. “I love when students include things like ‘I hope you enjoyed your trip to D.C.’  or ‘Thank you for your service and dedication to our country, I will always be grateful.’ Our students are very thoughtful and they spend a lot of time thinking about how to thank these men and women.”

“I love that this project helps students personally thank veterans for the freedoms they enjoy,” Phillips continued. “The fact that we get information about their branch of service and conflict/years of service makes students connect so much more to the idea that veterans really gave up a lot so that they can enjoy the things they do today. It is real-life, hands-on learning that I couldn’t give in a lecture or typical classroom lesson.”

Phillips noted that her absolute favorite part of the project actually doesn’t come until the flight is over.

“My favorite part of this project are the thank you cards that we start getting about a week after the honor flight,” she said. “The men and women who go on the flight are so grateful and they take the time to write us thank you cards. Some even include pictures and details from their trip or time in the military. It is just another way to solidify the learning experience for our students.”

As for Phillips’ students, they also enjoyed making this year’s cards.

“I enjoyed the opportunity to properly thank the veterans for their sacrifices,” senior Kayla Clark said. “I put stars on some of the cards and stripes on other cards because the American flag has stars and stripes on it and it’s what the veterans represented when they fought for us.”

Senior Hailey Meade echoed Clark’s sentiments.

“The fact I’m making these for the people that are the reason why I’m able to live freely today means a lot,” Meade said. “They deserve to know that they are appreciated. I said that I was thankful for them and that they are blessed.”