Cherokee, Timberlake announce Veterans Day plans
Several schools in Alfalfa County will be honoring veterans during their Veterans Day ceremonies.
Timberlake Student Council is excited to announce that they will be hosting an all-school assembly to celebrate Veterans Day at 10 a.m., Wednesday, November 11, in the high school auditorium in Helena.
Timberlake desires that students and staff have the opportunity to learn more about Veterans Day, and more importantly, to show gratitude and to honor our veterans on this special day and every day. We extend an invitation to all veteran’s and family members to our assembly on November 11.
Cherokee announced the following about this years Veterans Day program.
“We regret it, but Cherokee Public School is not going to have an in-person assembly for Veterans Day this year due to the Covid situation. STUCO, FCCLA, and some additional students plan to have some special things for our Veterans and community to share.
STUCO, along with the talents of Mr. Paris, will share a video link on our social media accounts to celebrate the Veterans and our Veterans Day Assembly online.
FCCLA is in the planning stages of a special treat to deliver to our local community Veterans.
If there is someone who you know is a Veteran in our community and has not attended our Cherokee Veterans Day program in past years, please let Mrs. Jordan know at jordana@cherokee.k12.ok.us or 580-596-3391.
Cherokee Public Schools is honored to have so many local Veterans in our community. Thank you for your service!”
History of Veterans Day
Veterans Day, formerly known as Armistice Day, was originally set as a U.S. legal holiday to honor the end of World War I, which officially took place on November 11, 1918. In legislation that was passed in 1938, November 11 was “dedicated to the cause of world peace and to be hereafter celebrated and known as ‘Armistice Day.’” As such, this new legal holiday honored World War I veterans.
In 1954, after having been through both World War II and the Korean War, the 83rd U.S. Congress — at the urging of the veterans service organizations — amended the Act of 1938 by striking out the word “Armistice” and inserting the word “Veterans.” With the approval of this legislation on June 1, 1954, Nov. 11 became a day to honor American veterans of all wars.
In 1968, the Uniform Holiday Bill ensured three-day weekends for federal employees by celebrating four national holidays on Mondays: Washington’s Birthday, Memorial Day, Veterans Day, and Columbus Day. Under this bill, Veterans Day was moved to the fourth Monday of October. Many states did not agree with this decision and continued to celebrate the holiday on its original date. The first Veterans Day under the new law was observed with much confusion on Oct. 25, 1971.
Finally on September 20, 1975, President Gerald R. Ford signed a law which returned the annual observance of Veterans Day to its original date of Nov. 11, beginning in 1978. Since then, the Veterans Day holiday has been observed on Nov. 11.
If the Nov. 11 holiday falls on a non-workday — Saturday or Sunday — the holiday is observed by the federal government on Monday (if the holiday falls on Sunday) or Friday (if the holiday falls on Saturday). Federal government closings are established by the U.S. Office of Personnel Management. State and local government closings are determined locally, and non- government businesses can close or remain open as they see fit, regardless of federal, state or local government operation determinations.
United States Senate Resolution 143, which was passed on Aug. 4, 2001, designated the week of Nov. 11 through Nov. 17, 2001, as “National Veterans Awareness Week.” The resolution calls for educational efforts directed at elementary and secondary school students concerning the contributions and sacrifices of veterans.