Since 2002, students at Chaska Middle School West have honored America’s veterans each Veterans Day with a heartfelt program that has become a cornerstone of the school community.
Led by civics teacher Troy Smutka, the event draws local veterans, families and elected officials.
“I think we’re going on 25 years. It has become a labor of love,” Smutka reflected. “I have a lot of veterans in my family. My daughter is an Army nurse stationed out in Virginia, and in between there, I lost a cousin killed in Iraq. So this has just become a labor of love, and it’s just amazing to watch the kids dive into this and just take it over. I have kids asking the first week of school, ‘When are we starting on Veterans Day stuff?’ It brings me to tears and humbles me every year.”
The program began outdoors with the raising of the flag, a 21-gun salute by the VFW Honor Guard and the playing of Taps by eighth grader Charles Szybnski.
Inside, the event continued with orchestra and band performances of The Star-Spangled Banner and the anthems of each branch of the armed services. Students delivered speeches honoring veterans and personally handed out handmade cards to those in attendance, thanking them for their service. After the program, there is a reception for the veterans and local officials.
Local officials and veterans alike praised the students’ dedication:
- Chaska Mayor Taylor Hubbard: “It is great to see our kids participate in something that honors the veterans.”
- Army veteran Rich Daniels: “The kids, they learn. They can understand what it means to them—democracy.”
- Carver Mayor Courtney Johnson: “They always just knock it out of the park. You can tell how much preparation and thought goes into it, and they create a really meaningful event for the veterans in our community.”
- Army veteran Craig Jones: “This is really awesome that these young generation students can appreciate what we go through. They get to learn something about our history and what it means.”
- Navy veteran Robin Bielefeld: “To support our veterans, it can’t be overstated. It was beautiful—the music, the speeches… it really shows the community support for our veterans.”
- Army veteran Barry Fox and former teacher at Middle School West: “We’re all paying tribute to what some of us did. Everybody can be proud about what this was today with all the students participating.”
- District Superintendent Dr. Erin Rathke: “West has been doing this for a really long time. To see our community come together—we have community leaders here, district leaders here community members. Our students were just so excellent today. This is about a long-standing tradition where we honor veterans in our district.”
- Army veteran James Bohmann: “When I see all the bright, talented young faces at the assembly today, it made all the sacrifices we made worth it.”
As veteran Craig Jones summed it up, “the number one thing you can do for a veteran is to say, ‘Thank you.’”
