On November 10, 2023, the observed Veteran’s Day this year, School of the Osage held its services across the district to honor those who have served in the US armed forces. At the high school, students and teachers filed into the Henderson gymnasium. In the front of the room sat the band, choir, Student Council, and the speakers of the ceremony, including special guest Lieutenant Commander Mike Petersen. At the back of the gym sat high school students, quieted by the heavy atmosphere. That is, because of who sat in the middle. In the middle, at the heart of these two groups, sat our local veterans. All five branches were represented this year by a diverse array of parents, grandparents, school staff, and community members. As the band played and the choir sang, there was a sense of collective effervescence. It was the sense that every person in that gym was united by what sat between them: the honorees who have given their lives for the greater good.
At the Early Childhood Center, students paraded around the flagpole with their patriotic attire and recited the Pledge of Allegiance. Heritage Elementary students sang tribute songs to America and enjoyed breakfast with their grandparents. Student speakers spoke about the importance of honoring our American heroes and student choirs performed at the Middle School and Upper Elementary assemblies.
As students, it can be difficult to hold onto why we celebrate Veterans Day. It is easy to take the freedoms we experience for granted when we’ve never known anything different. To see the emotion and passion of those men and women before us and to hear their stories is to connect their great sacrifice with our privilege as young Americans.
Veterans and active-duty members, thank you for your service.
