On Wednesday, November 8th, MHS held an assembly that honored the men and women who put their lives at risk to serve in our military forces and protect the freedom of our country. The purpose of this annual assembly is to appreciate and acknowledge the former and current members of the military in our community. The Student Council organized the program in order to convey the concept that military service is not distant from us, but rather a reality that affects our peers and our community. Through the efforts of Student Council advisers Mrs. Monkemeier and Ms. DeTrolio, along with Student Council President Suzette Olesen and Vice President Caroline Silen, family members of our students and faculty that formerly served or are currently serving in the armed forces were formally honored by the Madison High School community.

According to Monkemeier and DeTrolio, “The MHS Veteran’s Day assembly is important because it honors and celebrates Veteran’s connected to our MHS learning community. This year’s event was successful due to the collaboration between the PTSO, faculty, staff, administration, students and community members”.

As a way to honor these service members, Student Council seniors read the names of these veterans and acknowledged the military contribution each of these noble people made to our country. The veterans that attended represented branches of the the United States military from World War II through  the Iraq War. In addition to the acknowledgement of each individual service member, the program recognized the family members of the Madison community that fought and were stationed in wars through photographs in a slide show, and also recognized the MHS alumni who are currently serving.

Madison Dodger Online spoke to Mr. Braine, a veteran himself, about the organization of this assembly.

When asked about how the idea for this annual assembly started,  Mr. Braine gave credit to a former student.  According to Braine, “The celebration of Veterans Day at MHS began in 2015. It was actually a graduate Emilie Flamme from the class of 2016 who proposed the initial program and had a vision for expanding it into the assemblies we currently have. She felt very strongly that the student body should recognize and honor local veterans. As a veteran, I appreciate the sentiment and feel that it is a good reminder to our students that families in this community have made sacrifices to protect what we have and assure it continues.”

MDO reached out to Emilie Flamme and asked her what inspired her to develop a Veterans Day Assembly in the first place.  Flamme simply stated, “ The reason I started the event was because after spending almost four years in Madison, I realized how important and valued the veteran community was to the fabric of our town. I felt it was important to create a space which could celebrate their triumphs but also remind students that there is another side to history. I wanted Veterans Day to be an opportunity to learn from and honor those who fought for our freedoms.”

Celebrating our local veterans is intended to encourage our students to recognize the importance of those men and women who fought and continue to fight for our freedoms.  Respect should be given to the people who allow us the privilege of the freedoms we have today.