Article featured in the Buckeye Community Hope Foundation - Sponsor Update - December 2019
Students celebrate veterans, service to country
It was Assistant Principal Howie Waugaman’s idea to create a veterans committee at the Constellation Schools: Westside Community School of the Arts – and to host a Veterans Day celebration for the first time this year.
But Waugaman, a veteran of the U.S. Navy, is quick to say that these activities “aren’t about me.”
Instead, he and others involved found ways to honor those who serve – veterans of the Air Force, Army, Coast Guard, Marines and Navy – and encouraged students to pay tribute to these local heroes.
“We wanted to try something different,” Waugaman explained. “And Veterans Day served as the perfect opportunity to teach our students about some of our nation’s most honored traditions and the extraordinary sacrifices made by ordinary people.”
Students convened in the gymnasium for what many said turned out
to be the school’s best assembly ever. The committee created an
educational and inspiring presentation to teach students the meaning
behind American rituals often associated with the military – from the Pledge of Allegiance and the National Anthem, to Taps and the 13
folds of the American flag.
“We asked students and staff to bring in photos of family members who are veterans or currently serving in the military,” Waugaman said. “We incorporated them into a Power Point presentation during the assembly, and celebrated their service along with other veterans throughout the month of November. Students were justifiably proud of their family members’ service.”
Consistent with the school’s focus, students created art celebrating veterans, which was on display in the gymnasium for all to see.
“The veterans committee did a great job,” Waugaman said. “They deserve a lot of credit for making this such a dynamic event that students really enjoyed. It was such a hit that we plan to make our
Veterans Day celebration an annual event.”