McKinney, Texas - As Travis Manion Foundation volunteers Amy Springs and Andrea Schaur stepped lightly among the students seated on the floor at Malvern Elementary, they handed each of them a small stone and distributed a few Sharpies that began to make their way from student to student around the room.
The kids went at the task they'd been given seriously, heads bent over the stones, writing their messages carefully upon them.
She was mean to me...He made fun of where I live...She made fun of my sister...She laughed at how I talk...
Students at Malvern Elementary take part in a lesson on the character trait of forgiveness.
A few minutes later, the Malvern students were dropping the stones into a backpack that Springs hefted around the room. She and Schaur called for a volunteer, and a student stepped forward and hoisted the pack—now filled with stones—onto his small shoulders.
"That's pretty heavy isn't it?" asked Springs. The student nodded. She took the pack away. "That feels a lot lighter, doesn't it?" Springs addressed the whole room, ”When we forgive people who have hurt us, it means we don't have to carry that weight around anymore."
Forgiveness...it was one of five character lessons that Malvern Elementary School students spent a special day exploring—along with kindness, perseverance, self-regulation and teamwork—through a collaboration with the Travis Manion Foundation.
A McKinney High School Marine Corps JROTC cadet presents the colors at the Malvern Elementary Veterans Day celebration on November 8, 2024.
The event, which took place on Thursday, November 7, brought veterans to Malvern to teach the character traits through engaging activities and lessons, and Malvern, in turn, held an early celebration of veterans on November 8 in honor of Veterans Day.
The character lessons were part of a broader Malvern initiative to promote character development alongside academic achievement using the "Leader in Me" framework. Students rotated between stations that focused on a specific character trait with different veteran leaders.
“We’re excited to partner with the Travis Manion Foundation because their emphasis on character development fits right into what we’re teaching our students,” said Assistant Principal Rhonda Hamilton.
The opportunity to hear directly from veterans was a highlight of the day. Dulce Hernandez, a U.S. Army veteran with six years of service, emphasized the importance of perseverance and the Travis Manion motto, "If not me, then who?" She encouraged students to apply this mindset not just in school but in every aspect of their lives.
U.S. Army veteran Jason Jinks leads students in a talk about the character trait of perseverance.
“The hope is that students walk away understanding the importance of perseverance and using it as a ‘north star’ in everything they do,” Hernandez said. She added that whether it’s at home or at school, she wanted them to realize they can overcome challenges.
Hernandez and her fellow veterans highlighted the significance of character in shaping who we are. Jason Jinks, a Travis Manion volunteer and mentor with the Character Does Matter program, explained how personal character plays a critical role in overcoming adversity, using his own military experiences as examples.
“I served 20 years in the United States Army,” said Jinks, “There are a lot of things that we had to endure … and I think it is very important that the youth grab onto those values and start implementing them thoroughly and look at how character impacts their lives. It’s essential for students to start learning about these traits now, because character truly impacts how they approach life and face challenges.”
Malvern Elementary celebrated the family members of students and staff who have served in the U.S. armed forces.
The school also paid tribute to one of McKinney’s fallen heroes, Cody Board, a 2009 graduate of McKinney North High School, who served in the U.S. Army.
Malvern Elementary Principal Inetra Nelson reflected on the importance of honoring veterans and using their stories to inspire students.
“Today, we are talking about character traits that we want our kids to embody,” Nelson said. “We also got to tell our students about one of McKinney’s own, Mr. Cody Board. He was killed in action, and we just wanted to honor him. His dad was also a veteran. So, today our kids are learning some amazing character traits and also getting the chance to honor our veterans as well.”
Students laugh at a humorous video presentation about the character trait of teamwork.
Indeed, Thursday’s event was a powerful reminder that the lessons of character are vitally important, and that every student has the potential to make a positive impact on the world around them.
Those lessons led into Friday, November 8, when the entire school came together for an assembly to honor veterans. The event featured performances, student-led reflections, a special tribute to the veterans in attendance and a speech from U.S. Army veteran Brian Neumann from the Wounded Warrior Project.
It all kicked off with members of the McKinney High School Marine Corps JROTC presenting the colors and was followed by student performances on drums and the school’s choir. Malvern student leaders spoke about the history of Veterans Day and the significance of honoring those who have served in the military.
Malvern Elementary held its Veterans Day celebration on Friday, November 8, 2024, to specially honor veterans who are part of the Malvern community.
One of the most poignant moments of the assembly came from the school’s second-grade students, who emphasized the importance of letting go of negativity and embracing the power of forgiveness as they stepped forward one by one to place their “hurts” on the wall in the shape of a heart around the word “forgiveness.”
Another performance featured students forming “human statues” to create a visual representation of the traits they had learned and helping to reinforce the message that these values are not abstract, but are actions we can all take every day.
The most meaningful moment of the assembly came when Malvern Elementary recognized the veterans in the audience, each a relative of Malvern students or staff members. One by one the veterans, ranging from those who had served in past wars to those currently in service, stood to be applauded and joined their family members at the front.
Veterans who are family members of students and staff were brought forward to be recognized during Malvern Elementary's Veterans Day celebration.
Malvern Elementary’s Veterans Day assembly was more than a tribute to those who served—it was a celebration of the character that defines both veterans and students. By teaching these values to the next generation, Malvern is helping create a community where perseverance, teamwork, kindness, forgiveness and self-regulation thrive.
It was a fitting end to two days of reflection, learning and community building. As students made their way to class, they carried with them the powerful lesson found in the words of the Travis Manion Foundation’s motto, “If not me, then who?”— a call to action for each of them to live with purpose, integrity and honor.
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