A Veterans Day assembly has been a Nov. 11 tradition for more than 50 years at Kingfisher High School, more than 30 years before the State Legislature mandated such patriotic observances at all public schools in 2001.

Typically, the public ceremony has involved student leaders honoring local veterans in song, prose, poetry and speeches, ending with a musical tribute to veterans in the audience as the official anthem of each military branch plays.

As with every other public gathering, the live Veterans Day assembly which would have been held Wednesday has fallen victim to COVID-19 social distancing restrictions.

But as with many creative responses to pandemic restrictions, the “make-do” alternative in this case has turned into something really special.

It started with veteran faculty member Dr. AJ. Johnson, a member of the local American Legion, reaching out to fellow faculty member Kurt Kaya, journalism and videography teacher, about doing a video tribute instead.

“Since we cannothave an in person assembly for Veterans Day, Mr. Kaya has agreed to develop a video production which we can show in individual classrooms,” Dr. AJ. Johnson said.

In some ways, the video is a recreation of the traditional assembly, but the video format allows it to be so much more.

For one thing, students from other campuses canbe included, like Micah Daugherty’s third grade class from Kingfisher Heritage School, who lead the Pledge of Allegiance, from their classrooms.

The video also features more information about the local Keith Lowry-Henry Ellyson Post No. 5 of the American Legion, including a student-narrated piece on the military memorial at Kingfisher Cemetery.

But the “hits you in the feels” focal point is a 2010 video short called “I Fought for You,” geared toward demonstrating to young people the real life cost of freedom.

The KHS video concludes with local veterans posing with their own children and grandchildren in front of a waving flag and vocalizing the “I fought/served for you message.” The video ends with KHS band senior Brendan Hill playing “Taps.”

Watch for a link to the video on our Facebook Page Wednesday.