Holly Santero
News Editor
@SanteroCourant
For Veterans Day, faculty worked together to bring several commemorative aspects to the school day. Instead of the large presentations or years passed, this year the veterans were brought into classrooms for one-on-one conversations with the junior class.
History teacher and department head, Robert Stevenson, played a large role in organizing these presentations. “This year we’re mixing it up and doing smaller scale panels for US History, AP US history, and American Studies classes,” he said. “By having these smaller panels, I hope that students enjoy more direct contact with veterans and everybody gets to ask questions.”
Each class was paired up with three or four of the nine visiting veterans. Of the nine speakers, three of them are NCHS faculty, including English teacher Matthew Quinn, and Physics teachers Paul Reid and Tony Barnett. Knowing little about the new Veterans Day set up, most presenters saw the panels as a chance to answer any questions or share their personal stories. “I thought it was important to share what I gained out of serving in the Coast Guard,” physics teacher and former US Coast Guard Officer Paul Reid said. “Whether it is the invaluable experiences that you get to have for the rest of your life or the amazing people you get to work with.”
Just as Mr. Reid experienced many years in service, others saw combat, among them Physics teacher and active US Navy commander Tony Barnett and former US Army Corporal Ed McSorley. As a member of Navy who has served in Iraq, Korea, and is currently finishing an eight year tour with Navy Security Units, talked about the role of the Navy in his daily life. “When I go home and put the kids to bed, it is time for Navy emails, paperwork, and phone calls,” he said. “The military is an option for some people, but it’s definitely not for everybody.”
Unlike Mr. Barnett, who spoke about his current service, Mr. McSorley shared stories of his time in Vietnam as a Corporal. “I was one of nine children and couldn’t afford to be sent to college, so I was enlisted at the age of 17,” he said. “I lasted three months in Vietnam where I was shot twice during a series of attacks called the Tet Offensive and was sent home, whereas the guy standing in front of me and the guy standing behind me were both killed.”
Although many of the veterans like Mr. McSorley experienced tragedy in combat, their their allegiance and appreciation for the military remains strong. “The adrenaline rush you get in the military will surpass anything you will experience on the sports field,” Marine Corps officer and NCHS alumni, Boyd Harden said. “I saw places, met people, and acquired skills that I couldn’t have gotten anywhere else. Being in the military opens a lot of doors, and I would definitely do it all again.”
Along with classroom discussions for the junior class, all NCHS students and faculty got the chance to view the Veterans Day Interview Compilation made by NCTV.. The video, made two years ago by former NCTV students, was aimed towards not only informing students and faculty about the lives of veterans, but is also in the works of being submitted to the Library of Congress’s Veterans History Project. The project is centered around increasing the availability of veteran stories and interviews in order to educate future generations about the realities of war. “Nationwide there have only been 10,000 interviews submitted to this project, which I think is really unfortunate.” Mr. Stevenson said. “I hope that after this program, we will be able to do more interviews with the veterans who are visiting this year; and as a school, get the benefit of more stories of local service.”
Even though New Canaan schools did not have November 11 off, the efforts made by students and faculty did not go unnoticed. “I definitely appreciated what was done,” formerly enlisted sergeant and English teacher Matthew Quinn said. “I think that if it is a day off for students, it is an easy way for you to forget why you’re taking a day off, and if you do not do anything during the school day it becomes just another day. So having veterans come into class was a good idea, and the way the school approached the whole day was a real step in the right direction.”
Students also had positive reactions towards Veterans Day and hope that next year will offer a similar experience. “I liked how we got to hear real military stories from the time periods that we’ve learned about in class,” junior Abigail Deery said. “It reminded me how important veterans are to our country and education; so I think that we should definitely do something like this again next year.”
