The idea for the memorial started when Student Council Advisor Kathy Mercer moved to Jeffersonville and noticed that they had a memorial in the middle of town.
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“It got me thinking that there isn’t one here (South Charleston), and I was trying to decide why there wasn’t one,” she said.
Mercer proposed the idea to her students last year, and the council decided to take on the project in the beginning of the current school year.
She, along with a few students, attended a Village Commission meeting and presented a PowerPoint presentation about their idea.
While there, Mercer was told that a member of the community club had also come up with an idea for a veteran memorial, and both groups decided to join forces.
“At this point now, we realize that this is going to happen, and the kids are really excited about that,” she said. “Before we went to the commission, we didn’t even know if this would be possible.”
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The project is still in the planning stages, and students are working on designs. An account has also been set up at the Security National Bank for donations, according to committee member Leonard Kadel.
Kadel, a veteran himself, says that the students are spearheading the project and the committee will be providing the financial backing.
“The young people realize that this is important,” he said.” “In the nation they live in, they have the freedom and liberties to pursue their dreams because of veterans that fought for them.”
A location for the memorial has not been determined yet, but Mercer hopes for the project to be completed in a year’s time.
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