SAUGUS — Local veterans took the stage of the Belmonte STEAM Academy’s auditorium to be honored by students and faculty Thursday morning.
The seats were filled with eager fourth- and fifth-graders, who got to high-five the veterans as they walked in, while the younger grades watched along via livestream in their classrooms. Belmonte Principal Dr. Maureen Lueke kicked off the event before students recited the national anthem and Pledge of Allegiance.
“Today we gather as a community to honor and express our profound gratitude to the heroes among us — our veterans,” Lueke said. “They have selflessly served our nation, protecting the values and the freedoms we hold dear.”
Also in attendance were state Sen. Brendan Crighton, Superintendent of Schools Michael Hashem, and members of both the School Committee and Board of Selectmen.
Lueke emphasized that the event was also an opportunity for students to learn about the history and significance of Veterans Day.
“We hope this assembly will help instill in you the importance of gratitude and patriotism,” Lueke said.
The 14 guests of honor each introduced themselves and summarized their service to the country, spanning different branches of the military and eras of American history. Navy and National Guard veteran Dennis Gould was credited with making the event possible by bringing his fellow veterans together. He explained how events like the assembly can have just as much of a positive impact on the veterans who participate in them as they do on the students.
“We want to make sure veterans are treated better, so having something like this is great,” Gould said. “Seeing the kids perform for us and stuff is pretty good. It’s almost a ‘welcome home’ for those guys.”
Those student performances consisted of patriotic songs sung by the fourth-graders, including “God Bless America,” “You’re a Grand Old Flag,” and “Yankee Doodle.” In addition, the fifth-graders recited different poems that described the history of the holiday.
The main event of the ceremony began when Andrea Gayle-Bennett, a retired brigadier general in the Massachusetts National Guard, took the podium to test students’ knowledge. There were too many raised hands to choose from, so Gayle-Bennett delegated that duty to the Belmonte teachers.
She aimed to expand the students’ understanding of what serving in the military entails.
“There are many, many jobs in the military,” Gayle-Bennett explained. “There are engineers, there are military, police, lawyers, construction workers, truck drivers, computer workers. Any job that exists, pretty much exists in the military.”
As the ceremony concluded, the veterans energetically exited, high-fiving the children — just as they had when they entered the auditorium.
The veterans then split up and visited classrooms across the school for a more intimate opportunity to converse with students and teachers.
Lueke said that in her first year as principal, she has continued the tradition of this Veterans Day event from last year.
“I feel like the lessons the kids are learning are tremendous,” Lueke said. “Really, just in visibly being able to see all the veterans come. They seem very appreciate, but the kids are even more appreciative.”
