Jacksonville High School is inviting all area veterans to attend a special assembly tomorrow in honor of Veterans Day. The assembly will take place at 2PM in the JHS Auditorium.
JHS School Counselor Sherri McLaughlin says all area veterans and current soldiers and sailors in the military are invited to come and share their experiences with students. She says the ceremony will be kicked off by the color guard and JHS students: “At 2 o’clock our Junior Class, they are the ones studying civics and U.S. History, will be invited to our annual Veterans Day assembly. Our local [military] recruiters are going to present the color guard presentation. The JHS Band will be participating. Our madrigals choir will sing “The Star-Spangled Banner,” and our junior American Sign Language students will sign “The Star-Spangled Banner.”
McLaughlin says that Principal Joey Dion will give a brief welcome followed by Civics Department Chair Travis Brockschmidt explaining the significance and providing a brief description of Armistice Day. Guest Speaker Army Staff Sergeant Riley Noon will discuss his deployments to Afghanistan and Africa. McLaughlin says the next item of the program will then be followed by local veterans who wish to share their stories: “We are inviting any local veterans come up on stage and say their name, rank, what branch of service they were in, any wars they might have fought in, and we will honor them at that time.”
The afternoon will be book-ended with a grab-and-go style cookie and punch reception in the JHS Media Center at approximately 3PM.
McLaughlin says its important to have students hear from local veterans: “We just would like as many veterans in the area that would be able to attend. I think it’s important for our students to see the men and women in our community that have served our country and are currently serving our country, and their reasons why they made those choices. I think it is a time for us to really say ‘thank you.’ I really do hope people will be able to attend and join us.”
If you have any questions about the ceremony tomorrow, you can call McLaughlin at the high school at 217-243-4384 extension 2242 for more information.