Arianna Peper
Editor in Chief
“To honor our veterans is to honor the sacrifices they made,” social studies department chair Betty Roberts said.
For the past 22 years, Webster Groves High School has held the Veterans Day Program to honor those who have served.
This year, the program took place on Friday, Nov. 7, and began with a breakfast and coffee, followed by the main ceremony in Roberts Gym during first period, where 45 veterans attended.
Social studies teacher Michael Mason said during the ceremony, Webster’s orchestra and choir departments performed pieces for the veterans.
Mason said, “The hymn for each branch of the military was played, and the flags for each branch were presented. During each branch’s hymn, veterans stood to signify their service to that branch.”
Social studies teacher and veteran Michael Weber has also been a part of organizing the ceremony and spoke as a guest speaker this year.
About his speech, Weber said, “It means a great deal to me. I always want to give an uplifting message so the veterans feel appreciated.”
Throughout the day, veterans also visited social studies classes to speak about their experiences while serving for the United States.
Weber said, “Every teacher in the Social Studies Department helps to put the day together. We all play different roles in providing breakfast and lunch to the veterans, as well as organizing their placement in our rooms for the day. As a veteran myself, my role in working directly with our veteran guests is a good fit.”
Roberts has been in charge of the behind-the-scenes actions for the Veterans Day Program for the past 22 years. Prior to his retirement in 2023, Roberts worked with former social studies teacher Terry Verstraete, who started the Veterans Day Program. In recent years, she and Weber have worked together to organize the main ceremony.
The planning of the Veterans Day Program begins in April of each year when Roberts and Weber choose a theme and secure a guest speaker.
Roberts added, “The real work begins in early September. Mr. Weber begins recruiting veterans, and I start the process of delegating duties to the department.”
Roberts said, “This is truly an ‘all hands on deck’ event. Without each person in the social studies department, the custodians, the front office secretaries, the alumni office, the head principal, Chartwells, the FACS department, the music department and our veterans, this event would not have happened. It requires a lot of planning to put all the pieces together with everyone mentioned above. Everyone does a great job doing their part.”
Honoring those who have served for the United States, Robert said, is extremely important.
About holding a Veterans Day ceremony, Roberts said, “It is everything to me. I have many families that have served in our nation’s military, including an uncle who was killed in action in Vietnam after being drafted.”
Former principal Pat Voss has also made contributions to honoring the veterans at WGHS through a memorial wall displayed in the social studies hallway.
Along with the memorial wall, Webster honors the veterans through the bulletin board displays created by Roberts.
Roberts said, “Our Veterans Wall of Honor houses photos of our veterans that are sent in by our veterans, and I create a card to display their photo and a bit about their service.”
Roberts added her dad and uncle are also a part of that wall, along with several WWII veterans who have attended the program through the years but have since passed.
Weber said, “It means a lot to bring individuals into our classrooms who can share their experiences with our students, and to have a broad range of amazing people from all branches of the military, who served across generations, is fantastic.”
Arianna Peper–Editor in Chief
This will be Arianna Peper’s third year on ECHO staff. She made several contributions while taking journalism class her freshman year.
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