Issue 2-8

Litchfield Public Schools PO Box 167 Litchfield , NE 68852-0167 Phone : 308-446-2244

March 2017

NATIONAL K9 VETERANS DAY ( March 13 th )

By : Rachel Linden

Dogs are amazing creatures aren ’ t they ? They have stood by their people , helping in any way they can , for hundreds of years . Out of all the remarkable things they do , though , jumping into battle is one of the most amazing .

Student Editors : Rachel Linden , Amanda McClain , Tyren Howard , Joseph Ptacnik , RaNay Casper

Newsletter Advisor :

Mrs . Nikia Hunt nikia . hunt @ litchfieldps . org

Inside this Issue

1 National K9 Veterans Day 2 Senior Spotlight 2 Dr . Seuss ’ s Birthday 3 National Puppy Day 3 Digital Citizenship Conference 4 Sports Highlights 5 FFA News / Updates 6 February School Board Minutes 7 General Fund 7 Principal ’ s Report 8 Superintendent ’ s Report

10 Counselor ’ s Corner 12 March Lunch Menu 13 FBLA News / Updates 14 March Activities / Events Calendar 15 Music Dept . News / Updates 16 Early Years Preschool Newsletter

The earliest record of dogs being used in war is 600 B . C . Greeks and Romans were likely the first users of dogs in warfare . They sent formations of attack dogs , complete with spiked armor , to harass and cause general disturbance throughout enemy lines . Napoleon used dogs in 1798 by chaining them to the walls of Alexandria to warn of impending attack and help delay attackers . During World War I , German and French armies used an estimated 50,000 trained dogs as sentries , scouts , messengers , casualty dogs , and ammunition carriers . Similarly , the British and Belgians loaned trained dogs to the American Expeditionary Forces late in the war .

Today , 2500 dogs serve in the U . S . Military . They are trained to track , defend , and detect drugs / explosives . Currently , the German Shepherd , Dutch Shepherd , and Belgian Malinois have proven to be some of the best choices for patrol and detection work . Other breeds such as the Golden Retriever , Labrador Retriever , and other sporting dogs have been used in support of the Transportation Security Administration mission .

It is only appropriate that a special day has been set aside to salute these courageous canines . National K9 Veterans Day , which falls on March 13 th , honors all military and working dogs for their service and sacrifices made for our nation . This day was chosen because it is the official birthday of the U . S . Army K9 Corps , which was formed in 1942 . So , on March 13 th , honor our K9 Veterans by using # NationalK9VeteransDay to post on social media .

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