The Veteran’s Day Assembly: The 16th Year in Review

Just past 9 AM on November 9th, 2017, the rows of seats on the floor of the Basinski Center at Forest Grove High School slowly filled with those who have served in our country’s armed forces and their loved ones. The choir, orchestra, and band stood proudly, prepared to perform songs such as The Star Spangled Banner, America the Beautiful, and the service songs of each military branch. Forest Grove High School’s student body, faculty, and members of the community stood together to welcome and thank the veterans for their service, and to show respect during the sixteenth annual Veteran’s Day assembly.

Many veterans expressed that they were impressed with the help of the many students at Forest Grove High School, including those in FFA, NHS, Renaissance leadership, and ASB. Prior to the assembly, the veterans were presented with posters made by ASB, and greeted by members of the FGHS National Honor Society, and served quiche, coffee cake, and muffins, all prepared by the school’s own culinary club. Following the assembly, cupcakes and cookies took center stage, showing the veterans and their loved ones the time and effort many students put into making it an optimal experience for them.

Dot VanDyk, the Neil Armstrong Middle School choir teacher, conducted her middle school students at the assembly for the final time. She was met by roaring applause from the audience, as well as the stands of both middle and high school choir members when her retirement was announced to the crowd. This highlighted the community that Forest Grove has formed, and the personal relationship many of us have with people directly involved in the assembly, as well as veterans who are proud to walk into the Basinski Center annually.

“I’m never more proud of Forest Grove High School than I am on this day, every year” said Forest Grove High School social science teacher Bob Wismer, and he thanks the students because they “make it possible to thank the veterans.” The respect that the students of the high school have for the event is often commented on by teachers and Veterans alike, due to the high levels of participation amongst the student body. Senior Megan Buehler spent her morning volunteering for National Honor Society, wearing a small sticker across her shirt with the name of her boyfriend, a 2017 graduate who is now enlisted in the army. She shared that the assembly meant a lot to her because “knowing that [her boyfriend] will have so much support from our community when he returns home is a great feeling.”

Scott McCahon, a social science teacher at the high school, shared that he has spent the last “12 or 13 years” speaking at the yearly event. He has been involved with the assembly since it was first held in two separate sessions in the auditorium 16 years ago. In the years prior to the assembly, the social science department at Forest Grove High School would host World War II Veterans in the auditorium. “There would be a panel up front where they could tell their stories and kids could ask questions” according to McCahon. Over time that developed into a more elaborate and inclusive ceremony with help from the community and school. New additions continue to take place every year, such as the large American flag this year above the podium, to increase the positive experience of the veterans.

The keynote speaker this year was Vietnam veteran Bob Ferguson, also an author of a book called Some Days Chicken, Some Days Feathers. Ferguson spoke to the crowd about his experiences before, during, and after the war. He shared stories from his time as an airman, and talked about how he was burned on over 75% of his body. He gained an outlook on the perseverance of wounded veterans during his time in hospitals following the burns. He ended his speech by asking all of the students in the audience to pledge to be successful, whether in the armed forces or not, and was awarded a honorary Forest Grove football jersey by head coach Perry Herbst.

Out of the sixteen years that Forest Grove High School has hosted the Veterans Day Assembly, this year truly demonstrated the power of community coming together to give thanks and show respect for those who have served, and those who have fallen. Without fail, our school continues to put on a display of kindness for the veterans, whether they served in World War II in the 1940’s, or Iraq in the 2000’s. This unification of different sectors of our community to show respect towards those who have served definitively shows who we are as a high school, and continues to impress veterans year in and year out.