Frank Panepento, a technology teacher at the Batavia Middle School, dedicated a roof slate plaque during the Veterans Day Ceremony on Wednesday morning. The plaque was created with the recent roof slate removed during a construction project at VA/WNY Batavia Campus.
The slate dates back to the early 30’s when the Batavia VA Campus was constructed. With the help of Batavia Middle School students, 200 plaques will be created for veterans at the Batavia Campus.
Panepento, who plays the National Anthem with his trumpet each morning at the Batavia VA, came up with the idea as he watched the removal of the slate from the rooftops of the buildings each day. He says after talking with the company who was doing the work he was able to secure enough roof slate for the project.
“I talked to them and they said they have to keep 15% to reuse, I said what do you do with the other 85? He said they throw it away, I said, can I have some? I told them what I was going to do and they cut them in half to the size they are now,” says Panepento.
On Friday, Panepento and two other tech teachers at the Middle school picked the slate up. Since then, kids in every period during school are helping make the plaques.
“I looked for patriotic sayings on the internet and printed it out and decomposed it, which is literally just spray gluing it on, then we varnished it.”