Spartanburg Day School

On the front lawn of Spartanburg Day School Monday, hundreds of flags waved in the breeze. Military vehicles and their drivers – uniformed veterans – greeted curious students from preschool to high school for most of the morning, following a meaningful all-school Veterans Day assembly honoring the men and women of the armed forces.

Students were encouraged to invite a special veteran in their lives – a friend or family member – to attend the assembly and celebration. Speakers included alum Sam Spencer '17, who, as a freshman at SDS, initiated the now-annual "Flag the Lawn" fundraiser benefiting Upstate Warrior Solution, and Charlie Hall, president of Upstate Warrior Solution. Looking around, Hall encouraged students to listen to and learn from veterans' important stories of their time in service.

"Veterans have an amazing range of experiences, especially going in as young men and women doing some pretty amazing things. they want to tell that story," Hall said. "Take the opportunity to ask the veteran in your life about their story. It might be a parent, it might be an uncle or an aunt at Thanksgiving when you're together, it might be somebody who sits near you in church or a neighbor down the street. It's great to say 'thank you for your service,' but I would encourage you to go that extra step and ask them to tell their story."

Interact Club, the SDS boys' service group that organizes Flag the Lawn each year, reported roughly $2,000 raised in flag sales by the end of the day Monday for Upstate Warrior Solution.