Veterans Day festivities took place on Friday, Nov. 10 with events in the theater, theater lobby, and upper gym. The events included speeches made by veterans, a presentation by scouts, choir and symphonic orchestra performances, a luncheon, and much more.
CCE teacher Laurie Philipp helped coordinate the events that occurred on Veterans Day. She said she thinks things went well and liked seeing lots of students present.
“I think the day went great. I have no complaints and everything seemed to go really smoothly. We had lots of support from the building and a lot of students got to attend. I think we’re getting more students attending with their veterans, and with their parents,” Philipp said.
CCE student senior Lacie Wiedemann helped set up Veterans Day and participate in the events during the day. She said she had a good time even though it took time and effort to prepare.
“I found my experience of helping out on Veterans Day to be very fulfilling. It was a lot of work leading up to the day but seeing the look of enjoyment on the veterans’ faces made it worth it. I liked how everyone worked together to ensure that the day ran smoothly and the veterans had a good time,” Wiedemann said.
Principal Dr. Emily McCown said she likes seeing students with their family members and wishes more students could see how this day impacts veterans who participate.
“The parade is my favorite part but I also enjoy seeing our students who invite their family for the presentation. It is great to see our kids with their grandparents or other family members and the pride on everyone’s faces. There is nothing I don’t enjoy but I wish more of our students could see the look on the veterans’ faces when they parade through their applause. Many will have tears in their eyes at the response of our student body. I don’t think our students always get to see because they aren’t close enough to our guests [to see] just how much this means to them to be celebrated in this manner,” McCown said.
Philipp said she would like to get a newer generation of veterans to attend in the coming years.
“I’ve really been trying to get younger veterans to come. The Veterans Day was originally started with Korean War veterans, and there are not very many of them left, so it’s nice that we’re getting a younger generation here,” Philipp said.
Senior Paige Lehman attended the events with her grandparents. She said she enjoyed the day and looks forward to it each year.
“My experience was really good. My grandparents look forward to coming every year and they love when the band is playing and everybody at lunch is cheering for the veterans. I brought my grandpa who was a Marine. I don’t really have a least favorite part because I love how it is executed each year,” Lehman said.
Senior CCE student Skylar Zentner helped photograph the events of the day and said she was glad to have the opportunity to recognize the veterans.
“It was a lot of fun. It was a great experience to be able to honor the people that served and to see how happy they were. I liked the way everything was set up. I didn’t really like the preparation leading up to the day, but I enjoyed taking photos,” Zentner said.
Wiedemann said she enjoyed talking with veterans throughout the morning and hearing about their past experiences.
“I also liked being able to talk with the veterans and hear more about their stories and where they served. There truly isn’t anything I didn’t like about volunteering to help. I participated by making the name tags for the veterans, checking them in when they got to the school, helping decorate, giving a speech, serving them food, and helping clean up afterward,” Wiedemann said.
