SAD 4 students and staff prepare annual Veterans Day event
GUILFORD — The students and staff of SAD 4 are inviting area veterans and the general public to attend the annual Veterans Day celebration on Tuesday, Nov. 10 at 1 p.m.
Photo courtesy of Walter Boomsma
SAD 4’S ANNUAL VETERANS DAY EVENT — The Marine Corps League, Bangor Detachment 1151 closes last year’s SAD 4 Veterans Day celebration. This year’s event will take place on Tuesday, Nov. 10 at 1 p.m. at Piscataquis Community Secondary School in Guilford.
“We’ve certainly created a tradition,” noted John Keane, PCSS principal. “We’ve been hosting these celebrations for at least a decade. But it’s a tradition that seems to have more meaning every year and it’s anything but a habit — every year we create some differences.”
Organizers note that this year marks the 50th anniversary of the U.S. military involvement in Vietnam and have included Vietnam veteran and former state representative Peter Johnson as a guest speaker to commemorate the occasion.
The Marine Corps League, Bangor Detachment 1151 will open and close the program by formally posting and retiring the colors. The celebration includes the traditional patriotic music, student presentations and selected readings that will feature students and staff from grades 3-12. The Armed Forces Medley Salute performed by the PCSS Band typically brings the entire audience to its feet as the school and community honors veterans and those who serve in each branch of the service.
Thanks to technology, Katie Haley, a graduate of PCSS who is now on active duty with the Maine National Guard will appear “on screen” to converse with the audience about her service.
The tribute will be held in the secondary school gymnasium on Campus Drive in order to accommodate the anticipated crowd. A local resident who has attended for several years commented, “This is one school program you don’t want to miss. There is some obvious sadness over the sacrifices that have been and are being made by our military. But that sadness is balanced with a deep sense of pride and appreciation. Experiencing that with children of all ages, veterans, friends and neighbors means moist eyes and going home with a deep sense of community unity.
Veterans and friends, parents and the entire community is invited to celebrate and are encouraged to attend. Refreshments for veterans, visitors and guests their friends will be served in the cafeteria following the program. For those unable to attend, the program will be live streamed from the school’s website (http://www.sad4.org). Long distance guests are encouraged to visit the site 15 minutes prior to the event to establish a connection.
Photo courtesy of Walter Boomsma
STANDING IN TRIBUTE — Veterans at the 2014 SAD 4 Veterans Day celebration stand for the Armed Forces Medley Salute. Those unable to attend the 2015 event on Nov. 10 can watch the live stream through www.sad4.org.
Photo courtesy of Walter Boomsma
TIME FOR REFLECTION— A Vietnam veteran reflects during last year’s Veterans Day celebration in SAD 4 at PCSS in Guilford.