Veterans honored at JCS

Laura Young
ECB Publishing, Inc.

The Emerging Leaders class at Jefferson County K-12 (JCS) organized and presented a special program in the school gym to honor military Veterans. The assembly, originally planned for just before Veterans Day, was rescheduled because of severe weather to Nov. 17. It included parade elements like marching and banners as well as music and speeches.
Army First Sergeant Kenneth Rosier, a JROTC instructor who also teaches the middle school elective class, Emerging Leaders, welcomed the audience of 11th and 12th grade students and special guests.
Superintendent of Schools Eydie Tricquet thanked the students for planning the program and noted the importance of recognizing Veterans in our community.
Students in the Emerging Leaders class marched in under the direction of Assistant Lead Instructor Tyizanna Floyd, demonstrated cadences and presented the colors. Eighth-grade student Dedric Dawson led the Pledge of Allegiance, and eighth-grade student Dalanie Butler sang “The Star-Spangled Banner,” our national anthem.
Preschool children in Sharah Frierson's class presented a mini parade across the gym, carrying bright red, white and blue banners. The red banner recognized Veterans for their SERVICE; the white banner celebrated our resulting FREEDOM; and the blue banner with a handprint border said “WE appreciate YOU.”
This all set the stage well for Monticello resident Mark Mageary, U.S. Navy (Retired), to introduce his wife, Connie Mageary, U.S. Navy (Retired), as the keynote speaker. She served in the Navy's medical corps for 24 years and now devotes some of her time in retirement as a substitute teacher at JCS.
In her address, Mageary said, “The Veterans we honor today come from all walks of life, but we all share certain qualities: courage, pride, determination, selflessness, dedication and integrity – all things needed to serve a cause bigger than ourselves.
“Some have been asked to leave their homes and fight in distant lands. Some did not even volunteer, and none of us went to war because we enjoyed fighting. We are ordinary people who respond when our country asks us to. We answer our nation's call because it is a country that has given us so much. Since the first shots at Lexington have gone forth, American men and women have been answering their nation's call of duty. They continue to answer the call every day. Americans still step forward saying, 'I am ready to serve.' They follow in the footsteps of great Americans.
“On Veterans Day, Americans gather to remember, to honor and to pay gratitude to those who have and are serving this great country. These gatherings are one small gesture we can make to those who have made the sacrifice so that we can live free. Your presence here today and the gatherings that took place on Veterans Day are a way to say thank you.
“We remember. We remember the soldiers who shivered and starved in the winters at Valley Forge. We remember the doughboys crouched in the muddy trenches in France. We remember the platoons that patrolled the jungles of Vietnam. We remember the men and women who patrolled the sands of Iraq and the mountains of Afghanistan. We remember, and we honor you all.”
To conclude, Mageary shared the following poem, of unknown authorship, which holds a special meaning for her:
It was the Veteran, not the reporter, who has given us freedom of the press.
It was the Veteran, not the poet, who has given us freedom of speech.
It was the Veteran, not the lawyer, who has given us the right to a free trial.
It was the Veteran, not the campus organizer, who has given us the right to demonstrate.
And it is the Veteran who salutes the flag, who served under the flag, and whose coffin is draped by the flag, who allows the protesters to burn the flag.
After Mageary's speech, time was given in the program to recognize Veterans in our community who work at JCS and Veterans from each branch of service: Army, Navy, Marine Corps, Coast Guard, Army Reserve and National Guard.
Then, to show respect for those who have given their lives while serving in our country's military, the song “Taps” was played on the trumpet by twelfth-grade student Dezaray Kennedy.
As the program neared its closing, Rosier commented, “I want to say to the Emerging Leaders, I could never be more proud of you because from day one I have seen nothing but growth, maturity and you guys coming together as a family.” He added words of encouragement to the students in the audience to invest the necessary time “to get yourself to the next place that you want to be in your life.”
During the benediction, JCS Assistant Principal Beverly Faxon-Burnett said, “We must make sure our attitude determines our altitude... There is no division in love. When we love one another we come together. We meet each other where we are. We embrace each other and help each other grow... Continue to be better every single day. Continue to make a difference at this school.”
Rosier suggested that the type of program that this year's Emerging Leaders class prepared for Veterans Day may become an annual event at the school, to which local Veterans and the entire community are welcomed.