Students honor Wilson veterans by cleaning their graves
WILSON, N.C. (WITN) - Students from Wilson Early College Academy gathered at Maplewood Cemetery Tuesday morning to honor veterans who are no longer with us by cleaning their graves.
16 Wilson Early College Academy students cleaned 317 graves on Tuesday, reaching their goal of cleaning over 300. The goal was set based on how many graves their math teacher cleaned by himself on Memorial Day weekend.
“When I put it out there for the kids, I thought maybe three or four kids would volunteer,” said Michael Pardue, math teacher at Wilson Early College Academy.
Cleaning veterans’ graves is something math teacher Michael Pardue has been doing on his own for the last couple of years. But he recently decided to ask if any students would like to help.
“I said, well, I’ll take you to lunch, and now I’ve got 15 or 16, and I’m a math teacher, so I’m doing the math in my head. I’m like, oh, I didn’t count on this, but it’s great. We’ll have lunch,” Pardue said.
Even those who don’t need volunteer hours wanted to come out and help to honor veterans and their stories.
“I already have all mine, but that seemed like a good thing to do, so I came out and wanted to do it with him,” said Lydia Simons, a senior at Wilson Early College Academy.
Students said the work was a way to connect with the veterans buried at the cemetery.
“It’s a way to get closer to people and learn stuff about them. We’ve been researching some of the people that are here and learning more about them,” said Patricio Alvarado, a junior at Wilson Early College Academy.
Even if it meant being out in the elements, students said the work was meaningful.
“It’s cold, but honestly, just thinking about all the people that were helping clean their graves, just what those veterans went through in their lives,” said Erin Fulghum, senior at Wilson Early College Academy.
Pardue talked about how proud he was to see students from different backgrounds come out to thank the veterans. He says it’s nice to be a part of something positive.
Copyright 2025 WITN. All rights reserved.
