Fair Grove High School hosted a Veterans Day breakfast and assembly for Fair Grove Veterans and family in the high school gym on November 8th.
Christian Overstreet, Fair Grove High School Principal, explained why Fair Grove School hosts an assembly every year near Veterans Day. He said, “Our school district has a strong tradition of hosting an assembly that a lot of veterans attend and are appreciative of. Our Veterans Day assembly honors and recognizes veterans in the school and broader community.” He added, “The assembly educates students about the significance of Veterans Day and the sacrifices of the armed forces, helping students develop respect for military service. Inviting local veterans to participate also connects the school to the community, fostering unity and appreciation.”
Overstreet also said that he feels the assembly is important. He said that hosting the assembly is important because it teaches Fair Grove students the history and meaning behind Veterans Day cultivating civic awareness and patriotism. Additionally, it allows students to personally interact with and thank veterans, fostering respect and gratitude. It also brings the school community together to collectively honor those who have served, strengthening shared values and demonstrating to veterans that their service is recognized and appreciated by the next generation.
Christina Cantwell, Fair Grove Middle School Secretary, was the person that was chosen to speak at last year’s Veterans Day Assembly, because she served in the military. She said that she thinks the Veterans Day Assembly is so important because it provides a platform for our local servicemen and women to be recognized and honored for their service and sacrifices.
Cantwell added, “It fosters a sense of appreciation and respect from the community, which can be deeply meaningful to those who have served. It can also help bridge the gap between veterans and the younger generation and sharing stories of combat experiences can help students understand the realities of military service and the impact it has on individuals and families.” She continued, “Our annual assembly can instill a sense of patriotism and civic responsibility in our students. Hearing firsthand accounts of sacrifice and dedication can motivate them to appreciate their freedoms and the importance of standing up for their country.”
Overstreet and Cantwell have both agreed that it takes a lot of strength to decide to serve for your country. Veterans at the assembly have all decided to fight for their country and had many different reasons. They are also from all different branches of the military.
One of the veterans in attendance at the assembly was Aaron Hughes, who works in the Fair Grove School District. He said that he was called to service when he was drafted for the Army and he was Army Airborne for 18 months.
Another veteran at the assembly, Alonso Gonzales, served in the Marines for eight years. He explained why he wanted to serve his country when he said, “I watched 9/11 as a young kid in sixth grade. As the war continued, I really felt that I needed to do my part. Growing up, my entire life I just really felt the call to serve and fight for my country. I also thought it would make me a man,” he then laughed, “which it did.”
Ryan Outwood served for eight years in the Marine Corps. She said, “There’s a lot of reasons,” when talking about why she joined the military.” She continued, “I wanted to do something that would make a difference and help other people.”
Each year, to choose the speaker for the assembly, Overstreet choses a speaker who has a connection to the Fair Grove community and also someone who he thinks will relate well to Fair Grove students and be a strong representative of all veterans in the Fair Grove community.
This year that speaker was Senior Master Sergeant Nicholas Gerdes. He first talked about how he has wanted to talk at the Fair Grove Veterans Day Assembly for a while. He said, “I am greatly honored to be able to speak.”
He also said that the first reason he wanted to join the military was because both his grandpa and great uncle were in World War II. He said when his sister joined the military, he saw everything that she went through and thought that it looked interesting. He commented, “I saw everything that she had and she got to do and I was like, man, that’s pretty awesome… She’s got money. I was like, I want that.” He joked, “And then you join and you never get paid that much.”
Gerdes said how he got to travel a lot in the military. Before he left the US to go to Germany for four years, he met his wife. Who he said, packed her bags and went with him upon hearing that he was going to be gone for so long. He said how he was surprised at the action because they hadn’t been dating for that long. It worked out though since Gerdes said he and his wife just had their 22nd anniversary.
He went on to say how important every single person that chooses to serve is. Gerdes is in the American Legion and said that he wants to help veterans out. He said, “Basically all I do is just stuff for veterans because I’m a veteran and I want to take care of veterans.”
Overstreet works a year in advance to line up the speaker for our Veterans Day assembly, so next year’s assembly is already being prepared.
