City of Carmel Honors Veterans
 Carmel, IN – The City of Carmel honored veterans today, Wednesday, November 10th at the annual Veterans Day Ceremony in The Tarkington Theater at The Center for The Performing Arts.
Mayor Jim Brainard was joined by keynote speaker Former USAF Thunderbird Pilot, Major (Retired) Matt Modleski; speaker Colonel (Retired) James Crider, US Army; Director of Administration for the City of Carmel; Carmel American Legion Post 155; Carmel VFW Post 10003; Performances by the Actors Theatre of Indiana, the Mohawk Trails Elementary School Choir and Cindy Ensign Baney.
The winners of the Veterans Day Poster and Essay Contests were also recognized at the ceremony. Students from local elementary schools took part in the poster contest, while Middle School students participated in the essay contest. This year’s theme was “Freedom is Never Free.”
Finalists for the poster contest were chosen by grade level from each participating school. Board members of the Carmel Arts Council selected one citywide winner in each grade from among the entries. The winning posters were chosen based on best representation of the theme, focus on veterans and creativity. They were displayed at the City’s Veterans Day Ceremony and each student received a certificate of achievement from Mayor Brainard and Superintendent of Carmel Clay Schools, Dr. Michael Beresford. The honorable mention posters are up for viewing at the Monon Community Center on the second floor’s main hallway through Friday, November 12th.
Winners of the “Freedom is Never Free” poster contest:
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Kindergarten
Alina Sanders
Towne Meadow Elementary
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1st Grade
Krish Mehta
Towne Meadow Elementary
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2nd Grade
Mary Stephens
Towne Meadow Elementary
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3rd Grade
Grace Zhang
Towne Meadow Elementary
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4th Grade
Jocelyn Hughes
College Wood Elementary
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5th Grade
Jiacen Wu
Towne Meadow Elementary
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The panel of judges from local veteran’s organizations chose the winning essays, based on best representation of the theme, focus on veterans, and strength of message and proper use of grammar. Students were invited to read their winning essays during the ceremony and each received a certificate of achievement from Mayor Brainard. A list of the Carmel Veterans Day Winning Essays can be found on the city’s website at www.CarmelVeteransDay.org or by clicking on their name below.
Winners of the “Freedom is Never Free” essay contest:
Poster contest winners in grades K-5 received $50 each and essay contest winners in grades 6-8 received $100 each, courtesy of Indiana Members Credit Union.
“I am impressed with the students and their teachers in our community. By the quality and depth of the posters and essays honoring our veterans, it’s obvious our young people understand what it means to be a veteran and the importance of thanking those who have served our country,” said Mayor Brainard.
Each veteran in attendance received a gift, courtesy of American Structurepoint and Drs. Lauck & McLean Optometry and Eyewear. Other sponsors included UN Communications Group, Inc.
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