Ravenscroft’s Lower School honored veterans within the school community with a patriotic celebration in the Lower School

gym on Veterans Day, Tuesday, Nov. 11, 2025.

The event celebrated all Ravenscroft veterans — faculty, staff, parents, and friends— with many veterans in attendance to be recognized in person. Those who could not attend were also honored through a special slideshow presentation recognizing their service.

Ethan Yelen ’33 and Elly Lochridge ’33 opened the ceremony with the presentation of flags, which was followed by the Pledge of Allegiance led by Mark Shaw ’34 and Porter Shaw ’38. The National Anthem was performed by Emmie Ell Mann ’33, Zach Peters ’33 and Arya Udayakumar ’33. 

The celebration featured several moving musical tributes from the students:

• The Lower School Orchestra performed "Honor and Glory."
• PreK through second-grade Ravens sang "You're a Grand Old Flag."
• First- through fifth-grade students sang "In Service of Our Country" during a salute to the Armed Forces.

A highlight of the ceremony was a moving address by Major Mark Shaw IV. Major Shaw spoke about the principles of leadership exemplified by servicemembers. He drew a connection between the core values and traits of veterans and Lead From Here, illustrating how the program mirrors the discipline and service mindset found in the military.

“In the middle of the Citizen Leader Framework, there is a tree,” said Major Shaw. “That tree stands for growth, strength and hope. It reminds us that leadership starts from within and grows outward. Veterans are amazing examples of citizen leaders. They lead themselves with courage, they lead with others through teamwork and they change the world with their service.” 

Following closing remarks from Head of School and Army Veteran Derrick Willard the ceremony concluded on a solemn note as Patrick Tinnesz ’27 performed “TAPS.”

Click through the slideshow below to view images from the event.