Veterans Day: Honoring Local Heroes

 Every year, FBLA, FFA, and FCCLA host WNHS’ Veterans Day Program. It consists of performances from the band, and choir, a keynote speaker, letters from elementary students, and poems from high school students. FBLA runs the program, while FFA members greet veterans as they enter the school. FCCLA hosts a small refreshment gathering in the library after, where members of the clubs mingle with veterans and eat fruit and cookies. 

Corinna Utterback is this year’s WN FBLA President and opened and closed the program. “The program is important to me because I have been doing it for so long, and it has taught me so much. But most importantly, it’s honoring people who deserve it the most. Every time I write my opening speech, the words always come easy because the topic is so emotionally charged and needs to be addressed so badly. It is an honor to be able to show those veterans and active members how much they are appreciated, especially with the state of the world. As I said in my speech, we only have the future we do because of them.” Corinna is a senior, and has been doing these assemblies for years with FBLA’s Vice President Maddie Sims.“We have become more and more organized as the years have gone by. We now have an outline that every year we can tweak to make the assembly as perfect as possible. We also have had more participation from the FBLA group and other groups. We are able to have FBLA talking, FFA greeting, and FCCLA handing out food. It's a way to bring all the organizations together,” Maddie says. 

It is Corinna and Maddie’s last year helping to run the assembly, something they have done together since 7th grade. “I am sad and grateful,” Maddie says. “I enjoy seeing all the veterans come and enjoy the presentation, but it is a lot to put on. We planned this ahead of time, and now I don't have to worry about it.” Corinna feels the same, saying, “It’s definitely a weird feeling to have this be the last run. It was running through my head the whole time that this would be the last time. I have enjoyed my time doing it, but most importantly, this specific program has given me skills that I will use for the rest of my life.” Corinna credits her ability to speak to large crowds and confidently run programs for the club. “I also know how to work with people and lead moving parts, like the band, speakers, and choir. It’s an experience that was invaluable to me and I highly recommend that students get involved in it in my absence.” 

Speaking of moving parts, one of those is the band. Tucker Ryun, drum major, spoke on why the program matters. “The program is important to me because it's a way we can give back to our veterans and thank them for everything that they have done for us. My great-grandfather is a WWll Navy veteran and I know he would love to see me and the rest of the members of our band play for him and his fellow veterans.” The band played the Star Spangled Banner and the Marches of the Armed Forces. “While I do love playing the banner, you don't hear MOTAF as often and it's really cool to play the marches for the veterans that are there right in front of them. I also think it's really neat that they stand up while we play their marches,” Tucker says. 

Going hand in hand with the band is the choir, completing the musical element of the program. The choir consists of Ashley Davis, Devin Lewis, Broddy Gaddy, Grace Parkman, Mac King, Mya Rodgers, Aleah Kolkmeyer, Molly Osborn, and Andrew Travis. They sang a beautiful rendition of “United We Stand,” and Andrew Travis sang a solo part. Travis is a two-year member of the choir and is a bassist. “Veteran's Day is important to me because I deeply care about those who put their lives on the line to defend their families and this country,” he stated. While speaking about what he was thinking during the assembly, Andrew was trying to stay focused. “During my solo, the main thing going through my head was to make sure I didn't mess up, because that would be embarrassing.” We also had Chris Middleton give a moving speech as our keynote speaker.

Corinna made one final statement on the program. “Over the years, we have integrated new things, like reading facts of Veterans Day, and this year we took out the old poems that we had found and had Mr. Dickey’s class write their own poems. That way, the students were the ones we were featuring. This also goes hand in hand with the elementary student letters to veterans that we had them write. We wanted to involve students as much as possible. With that said, we also keep a lot of traditions like doing the POW-MIA table, having a keynote speaker, and playing the Marches of the Armed Forces. Those things are integral to the integrity and success of the program.” 

This program is a win-win for all those involved. Veterans are honored and thanked for their service, but students who participate get the feeling of fulfillment that comes with doing something good for others, while also gaining skills like public speaking and just general conversation skills with community members. 

The programs were created by Mrs. Travis’ Graphic Design class and were admired by community members because they included veterans in its “local heroes” section. Malena Chaplin, whose father was on the program sheet, wrote, “I am so thankful the school does the program as my Dad is a veteran (marines), my youngest son Cody is an Army Veteran and my daughter-in-law Coreen is an Air Force Veteran!” 

On behalf of all the students here at WN, we'd like to thank all veterans and active members for their service.