Ken White’s classes at THINC College & Career Academy have been working hard this semester on a project that will honor local veterans.

The project, titled “Heroes Among Us” will be unveiled Dec. 7 at THINC. The exhibits will include memorabilia, pictures, artifacts and videos that honor veterans and current military servicemen and women across West Georgia.

White said the idea for the project came together when he realized the current generation is not connected or related to the previous generations.

“I have a class motto to ‘Know why you believe what you believe.’ When teaching students about Civics and citizenship, it seems to be a foreign concept to them,” White said. “Most of my 10th graders are not involved in their communities because they are not aware of the needs of the community they live in. I wanted to challenge my students to become good citizens. But what does that mean?  Since I have three generations of military in my family I made it imperative that we look into the lives of those who practiced citizenship to the fullest extent. I wanted my students to experience what the true value of being a citizen actually means. Those who have served in military are those ultimate citizens.”

The class has spent the fall semester reaching out to veterans, veteran organizations and anyone who might be willing to help with the project.

“We decided to reach out to those who have served in the military in hopes of gathering the stories of the heroes among us,” White said. “We realized without those men and women we could not celebrate the freedoms and rights we talked about during class. Having the ability to experience history in person has been an amazing process. Each person we have interviewed has been extremely grateful that we are acknowledging those who have served. Our students are beginning to recognize the true meaning of words like honor, valor, servitude and patriotism.”

The class is inviting all veterans and their spouses and families, current military personnel and dignitaries from the West Georgia region. Snacks and drinks will be provided, along with a small Christmas gift bag.

The exhibits will be on display Dec. 7 from 10:15 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. and 12:30 p.m. to 2 p.m.

To RSVP, contact White at whitek@troup.org or call (404) 319-1839.