Naperville Central will hold its annual Veterans Day celebration on Nov. 10. This year’s assembly will mark the first Veteran’s Day after the COVID-19 pandemic, and it will be different from previous years. 

Seniors will be sitting in the Central’s auditorium and interacting with the veterans, while other students will be able to watch the assembly on YouTube during their Homeroom period. 

The Veteran’s club helped a lot to organize the celebration this year. 

“Club leadership met with administration twice to discuss assembly format, content, and how to coordinate veteran participation,” Veterans club co-president Riley McGrath said. 

All of the club members are passionate about helping veterans and reminding their community about the importance of veterans. 

“It is a time to express gratitude for the sacrifices veterans have made to keep our country safe and thank them for their service,” McGrath said. “A simple ‘thank you’ can be especially meaningful for veterans of the Korean War, whose service in the ‘Forgotten War’ is often overlooked, and Vietnam [veterans], many of whom did not receive a friendly welcome when they came home from the war.”

Mike Bochenski, Central social studies teacher, said it was Principal Jackie Thornton’s idea to make the Veterans Day celebration different this year.

“In the past, the teachers had the option to bring their students down during the second period,” Bochenski said. “Now, we want to make it a schoolwide celebration.”

The assembly itself was restricted to seniors as the school hopes that seniors are more mentally mature and respectful, and will understand the importance of this celebration better. 

“When you are an underclassman, and you have to sit in the upper bleachers, it makes the whole experience more informal,” Bochenski said. “Kids might not take it as seriously.”

Central is celebrating all the veterans that have served in the U.S. Armed Forces.

“There is a whole generation of men that have served in the U.S. Military by now because of wars in Iraq, Syria, Libya, and many others,” Bochenski said. “So we are trying to get those to come and speak about it too.”

Bochenski’s father served in the U.S. Marines, and his uncles served in the Army. 

“One of the reasons why I became a teacher is that same idea,” Bochenski said. “You can still serve your country without having the typical uniform on. For example, my uniform consists of a lanyard.”

Riley enjoys being part of the Veterans club because it helps her to “learn more about U.S. history and gives an opportunity to give back to the community.”