Special Veterans Day activities are an annual tradition for 8th graders and for veterans in the Bedford community. Each year vets are treated to breakfast, a concert, and speeches before going to 8th-grade pods and talking with students in small groups about their experiences.

Last year’s Veterans Day events across the Westport Public Schools system are summarized here by Dan Woog of the blog 06880.

Even though this is not a normal year, Bedford will still organize its Veterans Day event – virtually. What will this look like for 8th-grade students?

According to the BMS/CMS Newsletter, 40 to 50 students, grouped by cohort and pod, will attend a Zoom meeting with two veterans on Wednesday, Nov. 11. The two veterans will both give 20-minute presentations on their experiences in the military, speaking about why they joined, what their training and daily life was like, what they experienced, how it felt to return home, and how Americans today can “support veterans and commemorate Veterans Day.”

This will be followed by a short question and answer session. After these 30 to 40 minutes, students will go to a second meeting, where they will hear from two more veterans.

While an in-person Veterans Day is not possible this year, students can still honor those who have served in their community and Veterans Day can still be just as special. According to 8th-grade purple pod Social Studies teacher Ms. Ruggerio, who is organizing the event, Veterans Day is a special time for students to “stop what they are doing and be grateful” for those who have served and are serving in the United States military. “The choice to serve is certainly not one everyone makes, but it is a choice that benefits everyone,” said Ms. Ruggerio.