Memorial Day is an opportunity to honor the men and women who have died in service to this country, protecting the freedoms we prize. It is an opportunity that is squandered by many.

Every year, the Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 308 in Newtown hosts a Memorial Day ceremony on its Freedom Way grounds (Tinkerfield Road). With close to 30,000 residents, there should be nowhere near enough room on the clubhouse property to accommodate attendance. Instead, many of the chairs provided remain empty throughout the brief ceremony, with clusters of people gathered across the grassy knoll.

Celebrated now as the unofficial start of summer, thoughts on Memorial Day turn to beer and bratwursts, and pools and parties, instead. The chill of winter is past and spring is in full glory all around. Memories to cherish are certainly being made, but aside from American flags hung as decorations and some red, white and blue attire, this day is not always about remembering the 1.1 million US troops who have perished since the start of the Civil War.

How Newtown schools have approached Veterans Day offers insight into a way to translate the original purpose of Memorial Day into something youth and the older generations appreciate.

Six years ago, Newtown schools decided to exclude Veterans Day, November 11, as a school holiday. Instead, programs of history and inspiration to educate school children about the sacrifices made by veterans and troops currently serving have replaced a day off from school. Elementary schools have substituted the late day-off breakfasts at home with breakfasts at school for children and their related family and friends who are veterans or currently serving. Special ceremonies teach young people about the sacrifices made, and pay tribute to invited troops. Visiting with and hearing the stories of soldiers who have seen war firsthand is educational and puts a face on the day. Schools have returned the honor due on that day to those who serve this country.

While Memorial Day is a federal holiday, and while it would be hard to find a school system that does not close for this holiday, it is not a mandated day off. Perhaps it is time for Memorial Day to become a new tradition, as well - one in which schools eliminate a day off just prior to the school year's end, and one that encourages ceremonies similar to those now practiced in Newtown schools on Veterans Day.

In the meantime, let this be the year that parking becomes a problem at the VFW on Monday, May 30. The 11 am program is not long, and it is always a solemn reminder of our good fortune - freedom.