Take a Vet to School Day

Take a Vet to School Day, a History Channel. initiative, welcomed nearly 70 veterans giving students an opportunity to learn about the true significance of the day. Representatives from the five branches of the armed services - Army, Marine Corps, Navy, Air Force, and Coast Guard , and even one 103 year old WAVE (Women Accepted for Volunteer Emergency Service) were in attendance. The group consisted of parents, grandparents, uncles, neighbors, and even one of our custodians and our Westlake Crossing Guard!

The school-wide event was organized by 5th grade teacher Christine Galbo, whose father served in Vietnam. The day kicked off with a PTA-sponsored breakfast which was an opportunity for students to interview a veteran and learn about his or her life.Vets were then escorted to individual classrooms to share more stories and photographs, maps, and the clothing they wore while serving.

The highlights of the ceremony included a performance by the members of the school’s chorus and band singing a medley of the armed services theme songs, and then a slideshow put together by Mrs. Galbo of pictures of the veterans from their days in the service. Also in attendance were Girl Scouts and Boy Scouts, and there was a memorable dedication of the new Veterans’ Wall of Honor done as an Eagle Scout project, and the presentation of over $4,000 raised during the Penny Wars. Finally, as part of a New York State program called Operation Recognition, which allows a school district to grant a high school diploma to veterans who have an honorable discharge certificate and who left school before they reached graduation, two veterans were presented with honorary Westlake High School diplomas.

It was an emotional and heart-warming day and one that will not soon be forgotten by all in attendance.