On Sunday, November 11, America celebrates and honors our veterans and honors the 100th anniversary of Armistice Day. Lincoln Public Schools is celebrating in schools across the city on Monday and Friday. Hallway parades, guest speakers, patriotic music and special guests at lunch — we’ll be collecting stories, photos and video of it all. Be sure to check back as we continue to post updates.

LPS celebrates Veterans Day 2018

More than 30 military veterans spoke to eighth-graders at Lux Middle School on Friday, part of the school’s annual Veterans Day Celebration. The event, which started almost 20 years ago, kicked off in the school’s multi-use room with patriotic songs performed by the eighth-grade band and choir, as well as speeches by veterans and students. After that, students split up into small groups and heard the stories of multiple veterans, each for about 20 minutes.

The Lux event to honor veterans was one of many across Lincoln Public Schools on Friday and Monday:
An all-school assembly at Lincoln Northeast High School on Friday morning featured veterans and the school’s Junior ROTC. Irving Middle School also held a special all-school assembly on Friday, as did Kooser Elementary School on Monday, where dozens of veterans lined the walls of the gymnasium for the event.
At Belmont Elementary School on Friday, more than 20 veterans were honored during a parade through the hallways that featured cheering students and staff holding homemade patriotic signs.
Veterans were invited to eat lunch with students at Huntington Elementary School on Friday and at Fredstrom Elementary School on Monday.
At Lincoln High School on Monday, the school’s original World War I service flag was on display in the media center. School media technician Carter Hulinsky discovered the flag last week. The large flag containing 250 stars stars hung over the building’s entrance during World War I. After receiving word of the Armistice agreement, the flag was taken down Nov. 11, 1918, and paraded through the streets of Lincoln by students. A slideshow in the media center also featured photos of Armistice Day festivities, as well as the names of the 20 Lincoln High war casualties honored on the plaque in the school’s north entrance.

At Lux, students heard from guest speaker Lt. Col. Jeff Searcey of the Army National Guard. He shared personal stories from his three overseas deployments and spoke of the sacrifices made by veterans.

“A veteran chooses to serve their country. Even if you were drafted, you still choose to serve with honor and accomplish your tasks to the best of your ability,” Searcey said. “You quickly realize there is something bigger than you. You realize you’re a part of a team that’s been tested over time.”