MOUNDRIDGE—Local veterans are encouraged to attend a special Veterans Day program at 8:30 a.m. Nov. 10 in the Moundridge Elementary School gymnasium.
Though the school typically offers a Veterans Day program, this year’s event will be slightly different.
MES Principal Travis Schafer, in his second year at the helm of the building, said he wanted to change how the annual observance was conducted.
“I thought that we could spice it up a little bit and make it more meaningful for the veterans in the area,” he said.
Instead of having a local veteran come to the school and explain to the students what Veterans Day is and why it is important, the students will take center stage, and the veterans will attend as honored guests.
“I thought it would be cool to have our students do something for them, and they could just be in the audience,” Schafer said.
Veterans will be honored with poems, letters, songs and artwork produced by the students.
“This is the first time doing it, but I do know that I’ve gotten a lot of really good feedback on it,” Schafer said. “People are excited that we’re doing it this way, and we’ll just build off of it from here.”
Schafer said he borrowed the idea from his previous school district, and the goal is to help students better understand military service and why the community honors those who have served while showing veterans that they remain valued members of the community.
“We get to have a little research behind it for our kids, and they could actually dive into it a little deeper to understand more of the importance of the day,” he said. “They’ll get to present their findings and their ideas to these people that were actually part of the military.”
The program will include a preschool performance of “You’re a Grand Old Flag” and poems written by younger students.
“Maybe it’s a poem about one of their grandfathers, or maybe they have a dad or mom that’s actively serving. It could be a poem about somebody they don’t know, just veterans in general,” Schafer said. “The key behind it is they’re going to have to learn more about the importance of, for lack of better words, fighting for our country, and they’re going to have to put in some work to write those poems about it.”
For their part, the third graders will write letters to veterans, either one they know or veterans in general.
“It’ll be informational, but it’ll be letter writing,” Schafer said. “I’m guessing it’ll probably have something about why they’re thankful for them. I’m hoping that it’ll have some background as to why they’re thankful. I don’t think that our third grade teachers are going to allow, ‘I am thankful for you. Thank you.’”
Artwork prepared by students in their art classes will hang in the hallways for veterans to see as they make their way to the gymnasium, and refreshments in the form of cookies, tea and coffee will be served.
Schafer said he plans to open the floor to any veterans who want to say anything to the students, and he hopes to have the Newton Fire and EMS Honor Guard present the colors, though that detail has not been confirmed as of this writing.
Additionally, Parents and Teachers Together President Katie Bailey will be setting up a Missing Man Table. Also known as a Fallen Comrade Table, it is a small, ceremonial display to honor fallen, missing, or imprisoned service members.
“I think it’ll be a great, great program,” Schafer said.
To make his vision a reality, Schafer has been working closely with the MES teachers.
“Something gets brought up every day about it. We’ve been doing all we can,” he said. “There’s a lot of excitement. All the teachers are so thrilled that we’re doing it this way this year and trying something new.”
Though he doesn’t know how many veterans to expect, Schafer said he hopes the program creates an opportunity for connections between generations in the community.
“Maybe, best-case scenario, a couple of them connect, like a student and a veteran, and they build on that and build a great relationship,” he said.
Schafer said the event also reinforces lessons about respect and responsibility, helping students recognize the importance of treating others with appreciation, even when they don’t know them personally.
“It also gives our veterans that come in a sense of pride and community,” he said. “Having that sense of community is the best thing for a small district.”
Veterans Day is observed annually on Nov. 11.
According to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, the observance originated as Armistice Day, marking the end of fighting in World War I when an armistice between the Allied nations and Germany took effect at the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month in 1918.
It became a federal holiday in 1938, and Congress renamed it Veterans Day in 1954 to honor American veterans of all wars.
Schafer said he hopes as many local veterans as possible will attend.
However, only veterans are invited.
“This first year, we’re going to have to put a cap on it and just say veterans this time, just to kind of see and get a baseline of how many we get,” Schafer said.
Veterans who would like to attend or help spread the word can contact Moundridge Elementary School to obtain an invitation. The school’s phone number is 620-345-5500.
