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'This is an opportunity for them to give back:' Mehlville students honor fallen soldiers during Veterans Day weekend

The Mehlville School District honored more than 150 relatives of district staff who are laid to rest at Jefferson Barracks National Cemetery.

ST. LOUIS COUNTY, Mo. — All weekend people honored Veteran's Day on both sides of the river. The Mehlville School District honored more than a hundred fallen soldiers in a special way on Sunday at the Jefferson Barracks National Cemetery.

The cemetery has been a burial place for soldiers since the late 1800's. Over 237,000 loved ones have been laid to rest across the 346 acres in South St. Louis County. 

Deana Mckelvie, former Mehlville High School National Honor Society sponsor, described it as 'beautiful' and 'majestic.'

"Just seeing how many people are honored for keeping our country free, it really is touching," she said.

Among the thousands of heroes many with a personal connection to the Mehlville School District, according to Stephen Klobe, Mehlville High School French teacher and National Honor Society co-sponsor.

"There's tons of people in our district that have loved ones buried here," he said.

That's why six years ago, student Lejla Sehic said Mckelvie came up with an idea.

"She had lost her father a couple of years prior and was thinking of ways of how we could honor veterans buried here at Jefferson Barracks," she said.

Just like that, the grave wreaths project was born and has continued to evolve with time, according to Klobe.

"Never dreamed it would get to this level so it's like blowing my mind," he said.

Mehlville High School National Honor Society students created patriotic wreaths and then Sehic said they worked with elementary students to decorate rock markers.

"We get them involved at a young age and hopefully we get to see them in high school working on these grave wreaths and taking on what we've started," she said.

All of that came together on Veterans Day weekend, according to Mckelvie, when students spent their Sunday visiting the graves of more than 150 relatives of district staff.

"This is a way to make sure that we are giving our students an opportunity to participate in service, to see how really rewarding it is," she said.

With every visit a wreath was placed, a picture was taken, and a rock marker was left. 

Klobe said, for the students, it serves as a token of gratitude to all the heroes that came before them.

"This is an opportunity for them to give back, show appreciation, and just do something special for people that gave everything for us," he said.

Overall, about 110 students in the Mehlville School District were involved in Sunday's project. 

Afterwards, the students put cards together with the pictures they took at the graves and send them to the employees. 

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