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Meadow View Elementary School students with the local heroes they honored during the school’s Super Citizens graduation ceremony on March 21. (Reporter Photo/Keith McCoy)

By NEAL WAGNER / Managing Editor

ALABASTER – Second-graders at Alabaster’s Meadow View Elementary School praised local police officers, parents and even classmates on March 21 for their contributions to the community during the Liberty Learning Foundation’s Super Citizen program graduation.

Over the past several weeks, the students have been completing the program by learning the history behind America’s freedoms, and selecting local heroes to honor during the March 21 ceremony.

“You’ve learned about civics, careers, financial responsibility and most importantly to take pride in yourself and your community,” said Kristen Sharp with the Liberty Learning Foundation. “We can take great pride in our community and our state, because next year in 2019 Alabama is going to be turning 200 years old.”

Each MVES second-grade class chose a local hero to honor during the ceremony, and awarded the recipients with a Statue of Liberty torch pin and an Alabama bicentennial memento.

The classes honored the following local heroes:

-Meadow View first-grade student Lando Aldridge, who came up with the idea of making fleece hats and selling them to benefit cat rescues, sanctuaries and animal shelters through his “Hats for Cats” program.

-Alabaster Police Department Lt. Susan Peavy because of her dedication to keeping the city safe and for her frequent presence in the city’s schools.

-Meadow View Elementary PTO President Erika Zoebelien for constantly working hard to help the school, its students and teachers.

-Eddie Jackson Jr. for his dedication to his family and ensuring his daughter excels in the classroom.

“Each one of you are superheroes, and we thank you from the bottom of our hearts,” said MVES Principal Rachea Simms. “We can’t do what we do without our heroes.”

Also during the ceremony, the Jayla Green and Lilah Stone led the Pledge of Allegiance and Brianna Gonzales, Brittani Santos, Rebecca Firstbrook, Bella Rumley, Sofi Villalobos, Paxton Lambert, Aubrey Bauer, Dawson Baldwin and Ella Broach  led the “You in the USA song.”

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