Honoring Our Veterans
On Friday, November 8, we held our annual Veteran’s Day ceremony to honor all our servicemen and women (past and present) that lead by example as true servant leaders. Who better to teach our children the meaning of living one’s faith through courageous and selfless service to others than our military?
Organized by Fifth Grade Teacher and military spouse Brigid Barrineau, several of our military-connected students led this special ceremony. Kindergarten through Eighth Grade students were joined by parents and grandparents who are active duty or retired members of our military as we celebrated the Army, Navy, Air Force, Coast Guard, Marine Corps, and Space Force.
Eighth Grade students Lucy R. welcomed everyone in attendance and Maxim D. led us in a Veteran’s Prayer. This was followed by the presentation of the flag and the Pledge of Allegiance. After honoring each branch of the United States military with a lantern and their respective uniform seal, a single rose and candle were placed on the stage to honor all those that have made the ultimate sacrifice. Following this solemn remembrance, photos of military-connected parents and students were shown as quotes from our own Wolfhound veterans were read aloud. Their words spoke to the courage and sense of duty all service men and women embody by joining the United States Armed Forces. We then took a reflective moment to pause and remember the fallen, before we had active duty and retired military personnel in attendance to stand and be recognized. This was followed by an acknowledgment of all the military-connected spouses and students in the theater. To close out the program, attendees recited the Prayer of Saint Michael and Mrs. Barrineau dedicated the ceremony to Marine Sergeant Major Levi Jerome Wilson Sr. as a Marine who “embodied the highest values of honor, duty, and sacrifice.” He served until days before his death and was a friend and mentor to alumnus Cory Tenney (Class of 2014). The program ended with Fifth Grade student Rhys H. leading us in the singing of America the Beautiful.
Our entire Saint Patrick Catholic School community is deeply grateful for the many sacrifices made by those in the military and by their families in order to protect and serve our country. We are proud to be a Purple Star School - a military-friendly school that has demonstrated a major commitment to students and families connected to our nation’s military - and that nearly 40% of our students are military connected. We keep all of them in our prayers and hearts as we try to follow their examples.
