Tara Hicks is a schoolteacher who has a deeprooted passion for providing her students with not only a great education, but also life experiences that leave these young men and women with lessons that stretch well beyond graduation. One way she accomplishes this lofty goal is through the planning and execution of educationally based trips with Crandall ISD students.
Earlier this summer, Tara, along with three other adult volunteers, chaperoned a small group of students on a World War II-themed tour of Europe. By visiting a number of historical sites relevant to WWII, students as well as the accompanying adults were able to see history come to life as the places they had previously only read about were there for them to experience in real time.
Several spots on the tour were American cemeteries, and prior to leaving for the tour, Mrs. Hicks devised a plan that would give her students a way to honor and remember the many young soldiers laid to rest abroad. Through the vast records accessible on the internet, the students researched Texan soldier buried in Normandy American Cemetery and Henri-Chapelle Cemetery in Belgium before they ever left Kaufman County. In their research, they found the names and ages of the soldiers, the towns they called home, and where each of their burial sites were located. Also prior to leaving Texas, Tara made contact with several local officials seeking their partnership and support in the form of United States and Texas flags. Judge Shelton Gibbs, Congressman Lance Gooden, State Representative Keith Bell, Kaufman County Judge Jakie Allen, and Kaufman County Commissioner Skeet Phillips combined their efforts to provide these young adults with hundreds of flags to place on the graves of some of our servicemen and women.
Upon arrival at the American cemeteries, the group set out on a mission to find each of their soldiers. Quietly traversing the expanse of crosses, searching the names, and seeing the ages of those buried there gave the students an opportunity to reflect on just how young those brave soldiers were when they sacrificed their lives in the name of freedom. Each time a Crandall student located a soldier they had researched, they reverently placed a flag and paused to honor that soldier.
The hope with excursions like this is so much more than simply traveling a distant land. And the trips she plans for her students every couple of years don’t always take them to places as far as France; Hicks has taken past groups to New England and other relatively closer destinations. But no matter where they end up, the goal is the same each year: instilling a sense of community in these young men and women and teaching the value of service. “It’s important to be a part of something bigger than yourself,” Tara said.
Although the opportunity to experience other cultures and see more of the world than what lies in East Texas is invaluable, the real goal with each of these adventures is to bring history to life and show the students the effects of living a life of service. Teaching her students to focus outward rather than inward is a lesson that they’ll carry with them throughout the remainder of their lives. “If you’re willing to serve and try to be a part of making things better, then you’re looking forward.”
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