November 11, 2019
Student Authors: Mason P. and Lainie C.
On the frigid morning of November 11th, the National Honor Society started off their morning by setting up for the Veterans Day assembly. Elementary Art students, under the guidance of Mrs. Tammy Dooley, provided creative, patriotic decorations for the assembly. Fifth graders created the quilt that was displayed on the wall and fourth graders created decorative lanterns. The assembly began by presenting the colors. Chloe T. along with her father, Allen Tipton, and Jorge L., Jr, accompanied by his father, Jorge Lopez, draped the POW/MIA flag that represents the many men and women who have been lost during battle while fighting for our country.
Once the introduction was concluded, the high school and middle school choirs performed the national anthem. Ashley Jones’ 2nd-grade class started off the Pledge of Allegiance, while allowing everyone else to join in. We then took a moment to recognize each and every veteran as we asked them to stand when mentioned. The band then played the “Armed Forces March” to recognize again all of the veterans who were present and the ones who weren’t.
Then, Mrs. Chris Yunick and Mrs. Diana Lewis came forward and presented the Quilt of Valor to Jerry Quigly. Mason P. then introduced Mr. Walter Schley. Private Schley joined the Marine Corps in March of 1966 and went to Boot Camp at Parris Island, SC. His first duty station was with the 5th Marine Division Headquarters at Camp Pendleton, CA. Chief Warrant Officer-5 Schley retired from active duty in the Marine Corps in 1998 with 32 years of service (20 Active Duty - 12 Reserve). Following the introduction of Private Schley, he gave a “speech as short as him”. Once Private Schley gave his speech, the high school and middle school band played “You’re a Grand Old Flag and America the Beautiful”, and the choir followed the band’s performance by singing “Flanders Field”. Then the third, fourth and fifth grades performed “For the Good of the Many,” under the direction of Mrs. Samantha Waugh.
To show further gratitude, our local chapter of National Honors Society sponsored a DVD donation drive call DVDs4Vets. Their mission is to provide entertainment to Veterans who are unable to obtain movies on their own. We collected over 325 DVDs that we plan to take to area veteran’s homes soon. Following the announcement of DVDS4Vets, a moment of silence was observed while the bugle call Taps were played by Mason P. and Grace S.
Although there may be just one school day recognizing all of the people who fought for our freedom, there are opportunities to be thankful for these individuals every single day. To all veterans: we are deeply grateful to you for serving our country.