Every year the Berlin School District holds a Veterans Day Program in the high school gym. For the past two years Clay Lamberton, BMS, and BHS have all joined together to honor veterans within the community. 

The program was held on the morning of Nov. 9, starting with a breakfast for the veterans. The ceremony kicked off with the Presentation of the Colors by Berlin VFW Post 2925 and American Legion Post 340.

“It was important to me that we have all our students and staff in one place to show unity and support for our veterans. We don’t have a lot of opportunities to bring the whole district together,” Superintendent Dr. Emmett Durtschi said. 

Students were there to show support, as well as to learn more about the true meaning and importance of Veterans Day. For the veterans in attendance, it meant a lot.

“It shows there is a lot of community support. It’s really nice to see everyone come together to show support to all our veterans,” Police Chief and Marine Corp veteran Brian Pulvermacher said.

The program itself consisted of speeches given by  both the high school and middle school principals, as well as poems by students from all three schools, including Clay Lamberton. Senior Kate Femali was chosen to give a speech, “United Force.” Femali’s speech touched on American democracy and the importance of veterans’ contributions. Before starting her speech, she turned around and personally thanked the veterans behind her.

“I chose to write my speech the way I did because I felt there needed to be a sense of patriotism and a tie to history. I wanted the crowd to feel a sense of pride and understanding as I led them to the phrase ‘we the people,’” Femali said.