Student Volunteers Organize Village's Veterans Day Ceremony

LAKE BLUFF, IL — Volunteers from Lake Forest High School ensured the 100th Veterans Day was observed in Lake Bluff Monday, sponsoring the village's ceremony to save it from cancellation.

The high school students formed the Lake Bluff Veterans Day Ceremony School Committee and organized the observance at the Lake Bluff fire station, where it was moved from the gazebo at Village Green due to snow.

The students arranged for a speech from retired U.S. Navy Captain Andrew Rosa and for Lake County Board Chair Sandy Hart to read the names of veterans from the village who gave the ultimate sacrifice.

Senior Mark Smirnov initiated the effort, gathering signatures from dozens of students, including members of the school band, Boy Scouts and National Honors Society, according to school paper The Forest Scout. Smirnov organized a committee comprised of 24 students with the assistance of band director Janene Kessler, who had taken part in Veterans Day ceremonies in the village since 2002.

"This has been one of the most memorable and rewarding experiences of my life and I couldn't have been happier with the outcome," Smirnov told Patch. "Lake Bluff has been recognizing our veterans for more than 90 years, and we knew we had to do this from the moment we heard the news of the possible cancellation. We owe it to our veterans as citizens of this country."

Prior Veterans Day observances in the village had been hosted by the Lake Bluff American Legion Post 510, which merged with the McClintock Post 264 in Lake Forest last year due to a decline in membership, Pioneer Press reported. Village officials were left in charge of marking Veterans Day and Memorial Day with help from the Lake Bluff Historical Society, but volunteers were unable to organize this year's event.

"Our community is strong, loving, and caring, and I think it really showed during this ceremony and its organizational process," Smirnov said. "We salute Post 510 after nearly a century of organizing and conducting these observations, and we're proud to carry on this important Lake Bluff tradition this year."

Smirnov, who said he plays trumpet "because of bugling," was due to play "Taps" at this year's ceremony, according to the Scout. He said it was "mind-boggling" that the village had been unable to find a sponsor for the event.

Last month, Smirnov met with Village President Kathy O'Hara and presented a petition with 61 signatures he had gathered, the Scout reported. O'Hara agreed to allow the students to run the ceremony while the village continues to seek a civic group to take over organizing it in the future.

"I was impressed by their sincerity, their dedication and their diligence," O'Hara told the Lake Forester.

Lake Forest High School administrators also praised the students' efforts.

"I am really proud of our students for identifying a need and for planning a meaningful experience to honor our veterans. This was truly a demonstration and clear reflection of who our students truly are. They are compassionate, confident, and always willing to do what it takes to make positive contributions within the community," Principal Chala Holland told Patch in a statement. "Our students also understand the magnitude of service and sacrifice that veterans have and continue to make for us so that we are able to enjoy our daily freedoms."

Watch video of the event from the Forest Scout: