Schools throughout the Alpine School District marked Veterans Day on Wednesday, Nov. 11, through a series of assemblies, breakfasts, and art projects. The events included a virtual presentation from a deployed superintendent and various commemorative activities across several campuses.
Superintendent Rob Smith, a retired Army officer and U.S. Army Reservist, participated virtually from a military base in Vicenza, Italy. Stationed supporting the U.S. Army Southern European Task Force, Africa, Smith and his team presented to students at Fox Hollow Elementary. This presentation concluded a weeks-long project involving the school mascot, RIDER, intended to help students understand school values.
Smith also served as the keynote speaker at an assembly at Westfield Elementary, where he spoke about unity. During the event, he helped students symbolically link arms to represent stitching together a flag, stating that staying connected and respectful helps people withstand adversity.
Other local schools hosted diverse commemorations on Nov. 11. At Hidden Hollow Elementary, students created individual pieces of art that were combined into a large mosaic flag for the school assembly. Vineyard Elementary students performed patriotic songs for veteran guests, who shared stories about their school experiences.
Additional activities included a veteran breakfast at Forbes Elementary and a lunch featuring choir performances at Lake Mountain Middle School. Harvest Elementary hosted a Hero Wall of Fame where veterans interacted with students during recess. Skyridge High School held a dinner gala for community veterans at 5:30 p.m. on Nov. 11.
While participating in events in Italy, Smith also attended a Veterans Day ceremony at the Florence American Cemetery and Memorial. The cemetery serves as the final resting place for more than four thousand American service members from the Allied campaign in Europe.
