Oakfield students honor veterans by cleaning headstones at Avoca Cemetery

• Oakfield High School National Honors Society students honored veterans by cleaning headstones at Avoca Cemetery, paying tribute to generations past
• The event was hosted by student Maddie Meredith, who emphasized the importance of continuing acts of service for the next generation.
• The cleanup will provide families and friends visiting the cemetery with a respectful, clean place to remember their loved ones, especially as Veterans Day approaches.

(Below is a transcript of the entire broadcast)

Fond du Lac County, Wis. – Students from Oakfield High School’s National Honors Society are honoring veterans in a unique way by cleaning gravestones at Avoca Cemetery. The group gathered on Saturday from 1 to 4 p.m., scrubbing and refinishing headstones to pay tribute to those who served.

“These children have hearts of gold and are ready to serve,” said Molly Liebelt, the district’s assessment coordinator and curriculum adviser.

The event was led by Maddie Meredith, president of the National Honors Society at Oakfield High School. He says the group’s motivation comes from a sense of responsibility for previous generations.

“There were always good people here who did things for us when we were younger. That shouldn’t stop us from doing things for the next generation, too,” Meredith said.

The Avoca Cemetery is the resting place of hundreds of veterans. National Honors Society member Ryan Vielbig said even small acts of service, such as cleaning headstones, make a difference. “They are all important for their own reasons, so it’s good to give back, even if it’s as simple as cleaning their graves,” she said.

Mackenzie Liebelt, another Oakfield High School student and National Honors Society member, emphasized the importance of maintaining a respectful place for visiting loved ones. “When they come here and try to connect with their loved ones, they can have a nice, clean space to do so,” she said.

As Veterans Day approaches on November 11, communities across the region continue to look for ways to honor local heroes. For more information on Veterans Day events, please visit our website at NBC26.com.