Hiland NHS students relish connecting with area vets
Area veterans joined the Hiland National Honor Society in paying tribute to the flag as the Killbuck VFW presented the colors during the Hiland Veterans Day celebration.
For more than two centuries, brave veterans have served the United States through their valiant efforts, whether in war or in peace time.
On Monday, Nov. 11, the Hiland High School National Honor Society held the annual assembly celebration to honor area veterans for their service to their country in the name of freedom.
While it is always a wonderful thing to honor the veterans, all of whom have expressed their gratitude and thanks for the many community youth who have participated in these types of events, it also is an important experience for the teens who must put together the assembly.
Much goes into the small details of an assembly like this including inviting all of the area veterans to the ceremony. In addition there was the post-assembly catered gathering in the Perry Reese Community Center lobby, certificates to be made, planning whom will give speeches and hand out certificates to veterans, and a whole lot more.
For the Hiland NHS members, the opportunity to take the lead and honor the veterans was something Hiland NHS President Joel Kornhaus said they will greatly value.
“This means a lot to us because it means a lot to all of our veterans who have served so faithfully,” Kornhaus said. “I love seeing when people smile and show appreciation for putting on something like this and knowing that we were able to make a little difference in their lives and in how they understand how much we appreciate what they did in service for all of us. It’s also neat to see the school come together and having all of the students here to show their appreciation.”
Kornhaus said the NHS began hammering out details for the event about one month prior to the assembly. He said having a format to follow makes things easier but there is a lot of detailed work to be done. He said his favorite part is the annual reading of the poem, “We Stood for Freedom,” by Roger Robicheau because of how meaningful the words are to not just the veterans, but also for those who are honoring them.
Each year the NHS gets to put its own spin on the proceedings, and this year they chose to have the seniors display each of the five armed forces’ flags during the ceremonial playing of the five march songs.
Abby Beach, NHS vice president, said getting a chance to connect with the veterans is an important part of the event.
“It’s really cool to see the people of our community come out to support our veterans who have done so much for us,” Beach said. “I sometimes think that we can overlook them throughout the year, so this is our chance to say thanks for what they did for us. Being able to put together this assembly to show our appreciation means a lot to us, and I think it means a lot to them too.”
Beach said those in the military have many incredible stories to share and it is important for their knowledge and experience to be passed down to the younger generations so they can understand all of the sacrifices these veterans went through in service to their country.
The catered finger foods and social time following the main event between the veterans, their families and the NHS members is a time of fellowship in which the students can continue to delve into the lives and experiences of the veterans.
“It’s exciting just to connect with the veterans on a little more personal level,” Beach said. “Whether it is about their time serving and their sacrifices they made or about their families, they have some great stories to share that we can all learn from them.”
Hiland NHS advisor Alex Looney said this group of NHS students is collectively a bright, considerate group that is full of good leaders. He said giving them the reins and letting them work through the logistics of the assembly is very worthwhile.
“It’s about building leadership while also honoring our veterans for their service and sacrifice,” Looney said.
Long after the service was over, the students sat around and reminisced with the veterans, creating a real-life learning tool that simply can’t be recreated in the classroom.