It was a rainy November morning in 2023, and I had been kidnapped.
Not to worry. It was all part of the plan.
Dressed in camouflage and face paint, our students were preparing to embark on their very first Veterans Day rescue mission, appropriately named Operation Kramer Crusade. Their objective? Find and rescue their Headmaster, who was somewhere out in the woods, getting thoroughly soaked.
The mission was the brainchild of two ACCA fathers, a Navy SEAL and a Marine, who envisioned a Veterans Day celebration that would be anything but ordinary. Students received a dramatic mission briefing, while parent volunteers, communicating through earbuds, led their teams through the woods. Code names were exchanged, water guns were deployed, and water balloons flew. There was plenty of skulking through the trees, laughter, and good-natured chaos.
The adults may have enjoyed it every bit as much as the children.
When the mission was complete, we gathered with an enormous American flag for a photograph that captured the spirit of the day. Later, one of our students went home and told his parents, "This was the best day of my life, so far."
What began as an ambitious idea from two military fathers has become one of ACCA's most beloved traditions.
At ACCA, we don't take Veterans Day off. Instead, we dedicate the day to honoring those who have served our nation, many of whom are members of our own school community. But rather than simply telling students about patriotism, courage, and sacrifice, we invite them to experience these virtues in action.
We believe education is about more than presenting facts. A good teacher helps students catch a vision of something greater than what they currently know or understand. We don't simply tell children how to bake a cake. We give them the ingredients and let them bake one. We don't just tell them biology is fascinating. We invite them to examine a bee's leg under a microscope.
And we don't simply tell them courage, patriotism, and sacrifice are virtues worth admiring. We introduce them to people who have lived those virtues and give them opportunities to practice perseverance, courage, and teamwork themselves.
This is embodied learning, and it is central to how we approach education at ACCA. We want our students to do more than know what is good. We want them to recognize it, love it, and ultimately pursue it in their own lives.
As our school has grown, so have our Veterans Day missions, now encompassing multiple rescue operations and a boot camp experience for our youngest students. Somewhere between the camouflage, mud, and water balloons, students discover the satisfaction of working together, overcoming challenges, and realizing, I, too, can do hard things.
But some of the day’s most lasting lessons happen away from the battlefield.
Growing up with a father who served in the Marine Corps, I remember listening to his stories, trying on his helmets, and even eating MREs for the experience. Those moments shaped my admiration for the courage, friendship, and sacrifice that define military service. Today, I see that same sense of wonder in our students.
Throughout the day, we welcome veterans and active-duty service members from across the military branches into our classrooms. Students are captivated by stories of flights, missions, and travels around the world. They try on helmets, examine equipment, and ask questions of those who have worn the uniform in service to our country.
These encounters transform abstract ideas into personal connections. The uniform belongs to someone's father or mother. The stories come from a neighbor, grandparent, or familiar face. Suddenly, patriotism and sacrifice are more than ideas in a history lesson. They are qualities embodied by people our students know and admire.
As one ACCA military family shared, "We hope that our children and their classmates learn that there are many ways to serve in the military," but also that students can serve in their own way, "by welcoming and including new military classmates."
Of course, a day like this would not be possible without an extraordinary army of volunteers. From parents who plan elaborate missions and lead teams through the woods to those who paint faces, oversee boot camp, and share stories of service, their generosity reflects the very values we hope to instill.
For military families, that sense of community extends well beyond Veterans Day.
"The sacrifice that comes with military service changes over the years," shared one ACCA military family. "While it may ebb and flow, we have learned that community is key to sustaining families with the challenges it brings. We have been blessed over the past few years that ACCA has been this community for our family."
When I think back to that first rainy November day, I remember the mud, the laughter, and our students standing with that huge American flag. But I hope they carry away something deeper: a lasting admiration for those whose service and sacrifice protect our freedoms, and the understanding that courage, duty, and service often call us beyond our own comfort.
As a classical Christian school, our calling is to help students build lives of purpose, faithfulness, and service to others.
And if a day spent running through the woods, learning from veterans, and rescuing their Headmaster helps them catch even a glimpse of that vision, I would say it is a day very well spent.
Even if I do end up soaking wet.
Semper Fi!
Discover a school where learning extends beyond the classroom. Join us for an upcoming Open House and experience the ACCA community firsthand. Learn more at accacademy.org/admissions.
