- Superintendent
- Administration
- Board Members
- Staff Directory
- Services Directory
- School Districts
- ICOE for Me
- Resources
- Stories
- After School Enrichment and Safety program keeps kids active, helps out parents
- Bright New Look for Summer Learning Resources
- Calexico Unified teacher receives California Adviser of the Year award from MESA
- Calipatria students bolster their skills in the visual and performing arts
- Central Union High School valedictorian on to Brown University
- College Begins in Kindergarten
- Confucius Institute holds Chinese Culture and Language Summer Camp at SDSU-IV
- Education program in the Valley promotes higher learning
- Fatal crash staged near Brawley High to warn students of impaired driving
- Heber’s new school in the works, will be K-3 school
- Holtville High anatomy students teach elementary children about the body, health
- Imperial County training program awarded $500,000 makes idea reality
- Imperial Valley boasts nine Gates Millennium Scholars
- Imperial Valley in the National Spelling Bee
- Imperial Valley students look toward college, consider options
- Local Brawley Union High School graduate wins award and more at MIT
- Music camp keeps children active and builds skills during summer; will hold upcoming concert
- New Series of Thinkfinity Webinars
- Nurturing Parenting Program helps parents and children
- Rigor and Relevance being taught to teachers for students
- Teachers prepping classrooms for the first day of class
- Two local students place in top 10 in national health competition
- Verizon Thinkfinity Launches Back-to-School Feature to Assist Teachers, Excite Students
- Videos
Sunflower Welcomes Returning Sergeant
Saturday, November 21, 2009
From Article: Sunflower Elementary gives surprise “welcome home” to National Guard sergeant
|
FERNANDO ACOSTA JR. PHOTO
FROM RIGHT: Sgt. E5 Steven Granados of the Army National Guard A Company 79th Brigade Special Troop Battalion holds the hand of his daughter, Mireya, as they walk through a pathway of excited Sunflower Elementary School students waving miniature American flags and handing him thank you letters. |
Students at Sunflower Elementary gave Sgt. Steven Granados a second “welcome home” from Kosovo when he brought his daughter, Mireya, to kindergarten on Friday. “He’s crying,” some students said as Granados and Mireya walked through a line of cheering students. They greeted Granados and presented hand-written letters and drawings to him. “This wasn’t expected,” Granados said. “This got me all choked up. I didn’t really expect anything like this.” Mireya’s classmates, as well as fourth- through sixth-grade officers in the Associated Student Body, waved flags and cheered. Granados wiped away tears as he greeted the children and accepted their letters. He continued through the line of students into the kindergarten classroom. |
“It’s just joyful — happy,” said Granados as he fought back more tears. “I can’t express it. It’s really touching — people really do care.”
His wife came, and she said she was pleasantly surprised, as well.
“I thought it was just to say, ‘welcome home,’” Evelia Granados said. “It feels good to be appreciated and know we have good friends.”
Sunflower Elementary Principal Spencer Wavra said it was great to see Granados’ homecoming at the school.
“I’m just really happy he’s home safe, and we’re happy to have him at Sunflower,” Wavra said.
Granados said he has spent much of his marriage often on duty but he plans to retire soon to spend more time with his family.
He served in Iraq and returned in 2006 before spending another year in Kosovo on a peacekeeping mission. The battalion returned home Thursday evening.
He said he deeply appreciated the kids’ welcome-home greeting at Sunflower Elementary.
“It’s good to be home,” Granados said. “I was blown away. I wasn’t expecting any of this. It was really nice.”
Article Reprinted Courtesy of Imperial Valley Press
Printer-friendly version