Johnson Elementary fifth-graders lead Veterans Day project before school board

Fifth-grade students from Johnson Elementary presented their Veterans Day, project-based learning project to the Fort Thomas Independent School Board on Nov. 11, describing hands-on activities designed to honor veterans and teach younger students about service.

Miss Davis introduced five fifth-graders who each spoke about the project's goals. The students explained they framed the work around the driving question, "How can we honor and share the stories of our veterans?" Their project components included a boot-camp-style obstacle course for student participation, personal-veteran presentations and a branched documentary intended for all students to learn veterans' experiences. Students said they handled responsibilities including applying for roles, sending reminder messages and posting on Dojo.

Student presenters described the obstacle course and why it was engaging for peers. One student said the group recorded about 400 photos and that students across multiple grades participated. Board members praised the students' poise and leadership. Speaker 1 noted the presentation was bigger and more student-led than in previous years; Speaker 3 and Speaker 6 commended students for confidence and strong presentation skills. Speaker 1 announced T-shirts as gifts for the presenters and the board took photos after the presentation.

The board discussed the educational value of giving students leadership roles and noted that the project offers authentic, student-led learning aligned with community engagement. No formal action or policy change resulted from the presentation.