La Crosse Central High School holds 100th annual Memorial Day service

LA CROSSE, Wis. (WEAU) - For the 100th consecutive year, La Crosse Central High School is remembering those who gave their lives in service to our country.

Area veterans joined students and staff Friday morning for Central’s annual Memorial Day service, which is considered to be one of the longest-running observances by any high school in the nation.

“I think that it’s just really important that we carve out some time and some space for our students to remember those that made the ultimate sacrifice,” Central High School Principal Jeff Axness said. “It’s important to pay our respects to those who have fought and those who are currently serving in our military.”

The ceremony featured addresses from retired service members that now work for the School District of La Crosse, including Quartell Roberson and Britta Rotering.

Rotering served in the U.S. Army for more than eight years, and says she will never forget her fellow service members who didn’t make it back home.

“There is an immense feeling that I carry of guilt, and of questioning why certain people were able to make through and others weren’t,” Rotering expressed. “That leads me nearly each morning and each night to ensure that I live my life in a capacity that would make our fallen proud.”

As Memorial Day approaches, Rotering hopes her remarks will lead students to take the time to honor those who paid the ultimate price.

“I see this as an opportunity to make this real, and have it be something that even though it may not have touched them, for them to understand how those sacrifices affect their daily life, the freedoms that they enjoy, the opportunities that they have,” Rotering said.

Memorial Day was first observed nationwide in 1868, and Central’s tradition began more than 50 years later in 1923.

2022 marked the first time the ceremony was held in its normal location outside the high school since 2018, as the service has been impacted by bad weather and the pandemic over the last few years.

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