South Allegheny students honor veterans
Fifty area veterans took part in the elementary school’s annual celebration.
Veterans were greeted with smiles and cheers Friday at South Allegheny Elementary School’s annual Veterans Day celebration.
South Allegheny High School student volunteers gather before the Veterans Day program at South Allegheny Elementary School on Friday. Back row, left to right, Bailey DeCecco, Gianna Kuzel, Ava Brown, Madison Taylor and Violet Pastories. Front row, Ava Luft and Ally Chizmar.
Sixty students were involved with the event, which recognized 50 veterans from all different branches of the armed forces. Students gathered in the gym to welcome the veterans.
Amy Beatty, a teacher and one of the event’s organizers, said the school has been hosting the event since 2017, but earlier versions of the celebration took place before then. Beatty has learned to recognize some of the veterans who attend each year.
Veterans Garry Boden of Buena Vista and Bob Marhefka of Port Vue take part in the parade of veterans through South Allegheny Elementary School on Friday
“It’s sad when we have a fifth-grader, and we know like, this is it,” Beatty said, “because some of these veterans have been coming every single year, and we kind of get to know them. And when I do know their names, I am like, ‘Oh, that’s so and so’s grandfather.’ We recognize them.”
The event began with the national anthem, then transitioned to a segment where student readers described the history of Veterans Day and its significance. A student choir made up of third and fourth-graders performed “My Country ‘Tis of Thee.”
Veteran John Mochar smiles as he takes part in the parade of veterans through South Allegheny Elementary School on Friday.
Beatty said this year their celebration included a lot of moving parts involving school students, Cub Scouts and help from the South Allegheny High School Kindness Club. The event is also organized by a group of educators called the “Patriot Team,” who also collect and donate items for first responders around Sept. 11.
After the choir performance, Beatty started recognizing each individual veteran who was present at the
Veteran Michael Bertoty of McKeesport shares a moment with his grandson, Shane Bertoty, during South Allegheny Elementary School’s Veterans Day program on Friday.
celebration. The veterans sat in the middle of the gym, while smiling students, staff and faculty faced them at every angle.
Beatty highlighted a chair that was purposely left empty for veterans who have either passed or were unable to make it to the event for health reasons. The event was personal for Beatty because her father, Joseph Hudak III, who served in the Air Force, is battling ALS and could not be at the celebration.
– World War II veteran Joseph Jacobs, 96, of McKeesport, is joined by family members during South Allegheny Elementary School’s Veterans Day program on Friday. From left, Mike Jacobs, Anne Cloherty, Joanne Cloherty — a kindergarten teacher and Jacobs’ daughter — Alice Jacob and Joseph Jacobs.
Beatty held a moment of silence for those who could not be there on Friday.
“As we acknowledge the men and women before us here today, you might have noticed the empty chair,” Beatty said. “Sadly, many veterans are no longer with us today. Some never make it home to their loved ones in their communities. Some, like my own father, aren’t here with us today because of service-connected illnesses like ALS; others are serving our country right now.”
Once each veteran was recognized, students marched out of the gym and started lining up along the hallways of the school. When they were in place, the veterans walked out in a parade along the hallways.
They were met with cheers, waving of small American flags, and the continuous chant of “USA!” It was hard not to notice the smiles on the faces of the veterans as they walked through the hallways.
When the parade was over, students were dismissed back to their classes and veterans were led back to the gym for lunch catered by Glads Deli. They were also given small gift bags to take home.
Joanne Cloherty, one of the long-time organizers and a kindergarten teacher at SA Elementary, is retiring after this school year, but she hopes to still come back next year for the celebration. Cloherty’s father, Joseph Jacobs, a 97-year-old World War II veteran, was present on Thursday and has been attending the annual event for as long as it’s been taking place.
“I’d like to help in some way behind the scenes, but it’s been a wonderful group,” Cloherty said. “My Patriot Team colleagues are wonderful, and I love working with them. And we really work well together, so I’m gonna miss that camaraderie, but God willing, I’ll come back in a different role.”
Among the veterans who were recognized was Devin Perez, who served in the Air Force and has a son, Leonidas, who is in kindergarten at SA Elementary. Perez was also accompanied by her 3-year-old daughter, Sirena Perez.
“It was good, I like that they’re getting the kids together to kind of understand what Veterans Day is and what it means to the country,” she said. “So even the young ones, I know they don’t fully understand, but by just getting them started to get involved with it is good.”
Joe Hernandez, a U.S. Marine veteran, said it was important to especially educate students who may not have relatives in the military.
“The kids that don’t have somebody that served, they get to see all the people in the community that have served, and they learn about what it means to serve,” Hernandez said. “They might just see it on a video game or on a TV, but that’s not what it is.
“Then just to have to walk through that hallway and all them kids are screaming USA and the patriotism and just how you could see that they all love the country and singing the songs, it’s just nice to see all that.”
