articles

25th ANNUAL PERIMETER SCHOOL VETERANS DAY PROGRAM

November 12th at 9:45 AM- Community Event open to the public

November 4, 2019

Join Perimeter School Tuesday, November 12, 2019, at 9:45 AM as they host their 25th annual Veterans Day Celebration, honoring all Veterans of the Armed Forces. This program is a community event, open to the public. By recognizing and honoring our Veterans, they are also providing a legacy of history and tradition for the people in the greater Atlanta community.

This program began as a classroom inspiration in 1995 and has since become an impressive and exciting event that has grown beyond the walls of Perimeter School and Church. Last year there were over 2,500 people in attendance with more than 280 Veterans from all branches of the military. In the twenty-five  years that Perimeter School has been hosting this Veterans Day program, they have discovered that many veterans in attendance have never experienced any level of appreciation for their selfless service in the military until now. Veterans have often left the program emotionally overwhelmed at the gratefulness expressed. It is the desire and pleasure of Perimeter School and Church to ensure that our local veterans are duly honored.


The program will be held in the main auditorium of Perimeter Church, 9500 Medlock Bridge Road, Duluth, GA, 30097. All Veterans and their guests are welcome. Veterans are encouraged to wear their uniform or some military insignia indicating their branch of the service, so that can be formally recognized during the main program and informally thanked during the reception. They encourage and welcome teachers and classes of other public and private schools to make this a memorable and educational field trip.

Our program includes recognition of veterans, the procession, and posting of the colors, patriotic songs sung by our students, reading of essays honoring veterans, a featured main speaker who is a veteran of the United States Armed Forces and his wife, prayer for our active duty veterans, and a slideshow honoring veterans from our community.

SPEAKER: Dr. Mike Higgins and his wife, Renee

We are honored to have Dr. Mike Higgins and his wife, Renee, as our main speakers this year. 

Mike is a retired U.S. Army colonel, having served first as a field artillery officer and then as a chaplain in the Army Reserve. Before retiring from the military, he worked at the Pentagon for the Army Chief of Chaplains. He is also a graduate of the Army’s Command and General Staff College. Mike credits Renee for his over 20 years of service. 

Mike earned his Master of Divinity from Covenant Theological Seminary and was a pastor in Tennessee and Georgia before returning to the school as Dean of Students in 2011. In 2012, Mike earned his Doctor of Ministry from Covenant, and in 2019, he became Seminary Chaplain.

Together Mike and Renee have been serving military families for over 22 years. Mike currently serves as the senior pastor of South City Church in South Saint Louis City, and he and Renee are co-founders and active members of the Saint Louis Pastoral Fellowship, working on bringing racial reconciliation and healing to their community. 

Mike and Renee have two daughters, Mary and Michelle, and two grandchildren, Moses and Mattie.

The main program is followed by a reception. All Veterans and their guests are invited to attend. After a time of refreshments, veterans will be invited to sit in a group and have the opportunity to share “name, rank, and serial number” with the students. In past years, many Veterans have also chosen to share some story from their years of service. Such time is more valuable than one would think. It provides a history and legacy for the next generation of Americans.  In many ways, this has been the most memorable part of the Veterans Day experience.

WHO IS INVITED 

Our program is open to the public, but we especially welcome all veterans as well as their families and friends. We encourage veterans to wear their uniforms or insignias that indicate their branch of service. This helps us formally recognize veterans during the program when the Armed Forces Medley is played. Also, it gives us the opportunity to informally show gratitude to veterans before and after the program.

We also encourage senior groups, veteran organizations, police and emergency personnel, and other public servants to attend this memorable event. Handicapped parking and building access is available, as well as curbside assistance. 

INVITATIONS ARE AVAILABLE

Invitations are available and can be sent to you or any veteran. Contact Perimeter School (678.405.2300), providing the full name and mailing address of the intended recipient. Invitations are also available at the Atrium entrance at Perimeter Church and in the offices at Perimeter School.

For more information, click HERE.