TOPEKA (KSNT) – Topeka West High School students of all grades gathered to perform and show off their hard work and training within the JROTC program in front of veterans Tuesday morning.
The event on Nov. 10 included the JROTC armed regulation team and a candle-lit ceremony. Arianna Bell, a senior at Topeka West High School, Battalion S1, has been on the JROTC drill team for the past four years and was a speaker at Tuesday’s event. She said she hopes this ceremony shows students we should not take anything for granted.
“Well, my hope is that students take away the importance of veterans like past and present veterans,” Bell said. “Have shown us how to make sure that our country is safe and things like that. And we shouldn’t take anything for granted.”
Topeka West also honored six former students who lost their lives while serving in the military. The school shared stories about their lives and remembered the sacrifices they made for their country.
“Just to see that highlighted front and center in a school where, you know, if you look around in all the world today, not everybody wants to,” said Calvin Taetzsch, professor of military science at Kansas University and LTC, U.S. Army. “You know, people want to do other things, and to see that, you know, military service and just service to the country in general is being highlighted front and center in a high school is awesome.”
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“Honoring the six students who came from this high school, talking about their lives at this high school, you know, the sports teams they played on, their passions in school, and then talking about, you know, remembering them and their ultimate sacrifice and highlighting that here is really I thought that was super powerful,” said Calvin Taetzsch, professor of military science at Kansas University and LTC, U.S. Army.
Topeka High School will hold a flag-raising ceremony at 7:30 am. on Wednesday, Nov. 11 in honor of Veterans Day. You can find a list of other Veterans Day events and deals in northeast Kansas by clicking here.
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