The 12th annual Memorial Day celebration at the Hudtloff Middle School gymnasium is set for 9 to 11 a.m. Thursday (May 27). As a special part of the event, students will honor their own family members and loved ones who died in service or are missing in action.

Students will decorate a flagstone marker representing one of the 50 states with a flower honoring their own family members or loved ones who gave the ultimate price of freedom with their lives. 

Students and staff have been planning the event since early March and welcome community participation as they pay tribute to the country's slain servicemen and women. One of Hudtloff's eighth graders, Andrew Murray, will play "Taps" at the closing of the ceremony.  

"Many children from families stationed at Joint Base Lewis-McChord attend school in Clover Park School District," said Ron Jacobs, a counselor at Hudtloff. "We want to honor our families and all the servicemen and women through this celebration."

Hudtloff is located at 7702 Phillips Road Southwest in Lakewood. 

(Courtesy Clover Park School District)