By: Leila Evans
Veteran’s Day is a time to honor all who have served in the U.S. military. Originally called Armistice Day, November 11, 1918 marked the end of WWI and was later renamed to Veteran’s Day to celebrate our brave veterans. Every year, our school puts on a Veteran’s Day assembly where veterans in our community come with their families. The event is put on by Think Tank, which is run by Southeast High School teacher, Monica Kiskadden.
This assembly starts at 9 am in the auditeria where we serve breakfast for our veterans. Our Swing choir comes in and performs, alongside our band, then a few speakers come in and talk, giving appreciation to everyone who has served. Following the speakers, the veterans’ families go down to the gym, where all the juniors and seniors join them. They all get to pass a microphone down and say their name, the years they served, and in what branch they served in. This assembly has been a tradition for 15 years, and it is important for multiple reasons. “The veterans seeing where their tax dollars go, and how awesome our kids are, and that the kids planned this,” are just a few of the positive impacts, said Kiskadden.
Another teacher helping with Veterans day is Southeast High School history teacher, Douglas Craver. He is a current chaplain in the Air Force reserves and has been in service for 27 years. Craver speaks at our assembly and is celebrated alongside the other veterans. “The only people that know what it’s like to be in the military are the people that have been in,” said Craver. The common bond they share through the rigorous training and selfless dedication to the country makes veterans set apart from regular civilians. “Anybody who came before gave the same oath that I did – that’s pretty cool…that bonds you together,” says Craver. Our Veteran’s Day assembly is important because it brings our community together in celebration of our brave veterans.
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