At the assembly, which has been held for over 15 years and is always student-driven, veterans with relation to the high school, were recognized.
On Wednesday, Nov. 9 from 9 a.m. to 10 a.m. in the Moorestown Athletic Center gymnasium, Moorestown High School will host a Veterans Day assembly to honor veterans from both the MHS family and the local community. A tradition at the school, the administration is proud to use this event as a way to recognize and show appreciation to the men and women of the armed forces. All veterans are invited to attend the event.
At the assembly, which has been held for more than 15 years and is always student-driven, veterans with relations to the high school will be recognized. This year, 15 veterans from the class of 1964 will be honored through a new plaque that will be mounted in the high school’s lobby. One of the veterans to be in attendance will have traveled all the way from Texas to be a part of the event.
“The message [we hope] the students will take away from this assembly is an overall appreciation of the service and sacrifices of the men and women who have served in our military,” Bob McGouth, assistant principal at the high school, said. “The event is spearheaded by the student council, class officers and other student leadership.”
To make the event increasingly special, these students have selected pieces of music and poetry to present, in addition to music from the high school band and the Madrigals singing group. Each year, one or more guest speakers are also invited, and this year, two members of the 25th infantry of the U.S. Army and members of the class of 1964, Richard Calhoun and Bruce Deisinger, will speak.
“Celebrating Veterans Day at Moorestown is a long standing tradition of recognizing those who give so we can have,” Andrew Seibel, principal at Moorestown High School said.” Our student council organizes this event each year to distinguish the men and women specifically connected to our school and community in order to celebrate the freedoms we enjoy.”
Aside from organizing the assembly, Moorestown High School has a number of memorials and dedications already in place on the school grounds to honor all those who have walked the hallowed halls of Moorestown High School and who have served the country. At the high school, a “Lest We Forget” memorial is on display in the main lobby, serving to create a permanent remembrance of those graduates and staff members who served and those who, in their service, made the ultimate sacrifice.
To further show the school’s support for fallen veterans, a Vietnam Veterans Memorial, comprised of a granite monument with an embossed brass plaque affixed, was dedicated during a special Memorial Day ceremony at the school in May 1969. In recent years, this ceremony has also been observed on Veterans Day, with community members leaving flowers to symbolize recognition and gratitude.
Beginning in 1955 and continuing until April 1975, the Vietnam War enlisted the service of many students and graduates of Moorestown High School who honorably served their country as part of the U.S. armed forces. To honor four schoolmates who lost their lives during this war — Howard H. Mayer, Roger A. Ross, W. Phillip Seel, Jr. and George S. Yohnnson — Moorestown High School established its Gold Star Roll of Honor.
This dedicative memorial also honors those who were killed in action during World War I, including Russell H. Jones, Samuel Lippincott and William H. Snyder, as well as 23 men who lost their lives during World War II. Other honored servicemen include an individual killed in action during the Korean War, a victim of a helicopter crash and two victims of acts of terrorism.
