On our day-to-day travels, it can be easy to overlook the memorial that honors South Colonie Central School District students, past and present, that have served in the United States Armed Forces, many of whom have given the ultimate sacrifice for our country. Located in front of the Colonie Central High School, the monument was created with assistance through the district’s iCARE program. Participating students utilized skillsets learned in today’s classrooms to create, plan, and build the monument.
The Colonie Central High School iCARE program was created as an initiative where both faculty and students could have a common forum to express and affect change for the better in our school community. As it stands in a basic form, iCARE is a character-building program that uses five core values to shape student(s) decision-making. The ultimate goal is that students and adults in the Colonie community understand and enact the ideologies of Integrity, Community, Accountability, Respect, and Empathy as defined through the many interactive teachings of iCARE character and community workshops.
“We are incredibly proud of the monument which sits across from the main entrance to the Colonie Central High School,” said CCHS Principal Tom Kachadurian. “It not only honors those who served our country, but it was built by CCHS students for our community. While this coming May will mark the five-year anniversary of the monument, on this Veterans Day, I encourage our school community to stop and take a moment to view this memorial and learn more about those servicemen and women who served proudly in the United States Armed Forces. As a district, we are incredibly fortunate for their service and we feel this monument conveys our thanks and gratitude for their dedication.”
In 2019, the iCARE cabinet included 20 students from all grade levels, committee assignments including over 80 students and total volunteers of nearly 550 Colonie High School students, not to mention the many, many, staff, alumni and community members who offered their help and services.
Continue to check the Colonie Central High School news and social media feeds often for stories and announcements about the latest iCARE student initiatives. Learn more about the iCare program here.