The Big Sandy Mountaineer -

Big Sandy Schools honored the veterans of our community last week with their annual Veterans Day Assembly. The program featured music performed by the High School Band and Choir, songs performed by the 4th through 6th grade Choir, Veterans Day themed art projects done by the kindergarten through 3rd grade students, and a guest speaker: Diana LaBuda, who served for 24 years years in the military, 4 on active duty and 20 in the Montana Air National Guard.

Diana LaBuda spoke to the students during the event, focusing on the question: "What is a veteran?" She began her talk by inviting students to share their understanding of veterans and their importance. Students spoke of military service, sacrifice, and the protection of our rights and freedoms. LaBuda went on to explain that not only are veterans responsible for ensuring rights and freedoms, they willingly suspend their own freedoms in the service of the country. Her talk also explored the importance of those who serve because they stand for right against the wrongs of the world, how veterans served away from their homes and country, how many of them risked or sacrificed life and limb, and ultimately, how these acts are inspired by love for country and their fellow citizens. LaBuda's words were impactful and rooted in her experience serving our nation.

After the assembly, I spoke with her about the event. She explained: "It is incredibly important for these assemblies to help the kids recognize what a veteran is versus just somebody who wears a uniform. There's so much more to them than just serving in the military that defines them. For these kids, whether they choose to join or choose not to join, they have a choice because somebody else served to give them the right to choose." She explained that the difficulty in explaining what it is to be a veteran: "I can't even really explain the depths of the meaning of it. It truly is an honor to be a veteran. And I think the kids should recognize that Veterans Day is more than 'Thanks for your service.'" It's about something deeper and more important.

The Veterans Day Assembly opened with the high school choir singing the National Anthem and the Pledge of Allegiance which was led by the 6th graders. Other musical elements of the program included: the elementary choir singing a song about Arlington National Cemetery and the band playing the music from each branch of the service while members from each branch stood for recognition and applaud. TJ Bond, the music teacher and MC for the program, explained that the "Veterans Day program has been around for quite some time. My job is kind of just to facilitate the music side of things. It's been great to see the amount of support for veterans in the community, both those that attend in person and those that attended virtually." He went on to explain that the event is a sort of mini-concert performance for the students, which they prepare for along side their normal music education curriculum. The students practice for this, but it's more of a thing we work on along with our other schoolwork." For many of the students, the event represents a smaller concert that helps prepare them for performing in front of larger groups.

The event was primarily organized by TJ Bond and Heather Wolery, both of whom were pleased with how the concert went. Heather remarked that, "It's always wonderful to invite veterans and honor them, and it's good for our kids to see that. It was great. It's always one of my favorite events."

The event was an uplifting experience for those in attendance. Superintendent Dan Schrock summarized it best when I spoke with him after the conclusion of the event: "It is so good to see that patriotism is alive and well in our student body and in our staff and in honoring the veterans and their sacrifices for our country."