Osmond Elementary School (OES) has invited the community to contribute information to the newly installed Veteran Honor Wall that is part of the Liberty Hall at the school. Veterans and family members are encouraged to submit photos, videos and biographical information about any veteran who has lived in Star Valley at any time in their lives.
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Osmond’s Liberty Wall was installed before Spring Break. It allows readers to scan QR codes, which walks them through documents, photos and videos that tell “Liberty’s story as you go through,” said Principal Tyler Jack. “We wanted to have an opportunity for students to understand Liberty’s story and what a miracle it is that America even came to be. We want our kids to understand what a blessing and amazing opportunity they have to live in this country and how it came to be through all of these experiences and documents. The opening of the exhibit comes in conjunction with the 250th Anniversary of the Country. We thought it was a great time to do this.”
Grant funding and donations have provided the needed finances to construct the Liberty Hall, which on one side of the hall, offers information about the history of the United States. On the opposite wall, planning committee members hoped to honor veterans who have served from Star Valley but weren’t certain how they would be able to provide the space needed to honor so many valued members of the community.
“We thought, ‘How will we put all of their names up and plaques? How do we do this?’ We were worried about space limits.” The solution came with programming and installation of a touchscreen TV that serves as a comprehensive database of all the information about Star Valley’s veterans.
The Wall offers an interactive experience, and community members are invited to add their own photos, videos and documents containing their family and veteran history. Any individual wishing to contribute to the wall can visit the school website at Osmond.LCSD2.org or scan the QR code accompanying this story. “You put in their picture and a little bio, the years they served, if they served in a conflict or not.” Whatever information applies.
“This TV will be in the hallway, and it will constantly be scrolling pictures of all the veterans from Star Valley,” Jack explained. “Kids will be seeing that every day. They pass through that hall four or five times a day, so they will constantly be seeing these pictures of Star Valley’s veterans. They can click on one. They can read about them. There are fields that they will be able to search. Maybe they want to learn about anyone in WW II or anyone that was in the Marines from Star Valley or whatever fields they want to search from. They can find specific veterans and learn about them from those search fields.”
Though grant funding made the honor wall possible, committee members were required to hire a web design company to develop the database, operation and function of the interactive system. “It’s taken a lot of work in designing with them to be able to have this kind of functionality.” Hiring the professional designers required additional funding, and the school has been seeking donations for the programming.
This program will “allow anyone in the world with a computer to tap into the wall,” said Jack. “I can have a grandpa in Arkansas that gets on the website, and he can look at Star Valley’s veterans from his home computer, exactly what kids would see if they were in our building and touching the screen and using that wall.”
Donations are still being accepted to cover the cost of the Wall. “We have a plaque in honor of anyone that contributes to this project,” said Jack. Any donors who are comfortable with the recognition will have their name inscribed on the plaque that is a permanent fixture in the Liberty Hall. “We would love to put your name on there. We wanted to give our local people the opportunity to be a part of the project.” Students and families are invited to participate.
To donate, friends of OES can visit the school website, Osmond.LCSD2.org, or visit the school building to donate.
This is a “good opportunity to support a good cause that will be a lasting opportunity for students for many years, and it benefits the community as a whole,” Jack said. There is no limit to the amount of information that can be stored in the program.
“If you have lived in Star Valley and you are a veteran, we want to know about you,” said Jack. “We want to recruit” the community’s help to get all our “veterans added to the Veteran’s Honor Wall.”
Jack expressed his gratitude to this community that supports projects of this nature. “We would love for anyone to come by the wall. There are videos and audio, and you see everything with a QR code through your phone. It all highlights specific wording from primary sources and the miracle of Liberty’s story, which came about through a miracle and it’s pretty cool to be a part of this country.”
