Competition Between Tosa High Schools Raises $2800 For Honor Flight

WAUWATOSA, WI — A competition between Wauwatosa East and West High Schools has raised enough money to send five veterans to a day of honor among the memorials in Washington D.C.

Students and staff at both schools worked to raise the cash for Honor Flight, an organization that has a mission of celebrating America's veterans with a trip to the nation's capital. A news release from the district said East raised $800 while West raised $2000. The check will be presented Wednesday afternoon on National Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day at West High School, the district said.

The competition, "capitalizing on a friendly cross-city rivalry," began the week of Veteran's Day and ended Friday. It was the first one held since before the coronavirus pandemic, the district said.

Chad Mateske, a social studies teacher at Wauwatosa West and veteran of Operation Iraqi Freedom, led the initiative alongside Erin Gould, a social studies teacher at Wauwatosa East, according to the news release.

The competition was especially important for Mateske, whose father died in 2014 from cancer after being exposed to Agent Orange during the Vietnam War, the district release said. Before his father's death, Mateske was able to organize him a visit from several cast members of a 2012 Honor Flight documentary, the release said.

“I am incredibly proud of our students and staff for their engagement in this fundraiser,” said Wauwatosa Superintendent Demond Means in the news release. “Our goal in ensuring an exceptional student experience extends beyond academics. By guiding students in their journey to good citizenship, we not only enhance their educational experience, but we more holistically prepare them for their life after graduation.”