On Thursday, November 9th, 2023, at 9:00AM in the high school auditorium of Carbondale Area High School, students, faculty, staff, family, and veterans helped to depict the true perspective of the importance of Veterans’ Day with the annual program dedicate to our service men and women.
The audience was welcomed by Megan Cosklo followed by the Posting of Colors by Jacob Berg and Thomas Seymour. “The Star-Spangled Banner” was performed by members of the Carbondale Area Band.
Cloie Greene and Ema Dobosh began by explain the importance of honoring Veterans. Students in Mr. Mauro’s AP History class presented on the branches of the military: Army (Zach Staples), Navy (Kaci Bannon), Air Force (Rylee Colonna), Coast Guard (Margot Matoushek), Marine Corps (Jocelyn Brown), and Space Force (Natalie Skeba). Drew Balderas and Max Rosler spoke on the topic of what it is like to live in a military household while having parents who are deployed and moving from place to place. Kylie Kelly presented on the Congressional Medal of Honor.
Mr. Robert Shlesinger performed the one man played titled, “The Last Thoughts of Gino Merli.” His performance kept the audience captivated and informed on the life of the late Gino Merli and the heroism he showed when his company was attacked by a superior German force. He was able to fool the German soldiers into believing he was no longer a threat only to attack them again when they left him for dead. These selfless acts earned him the Congressional Medal of Honor.
Students in Miss Dombrosky’s Advanced Composition Class shared their written responses on the call to serve: “Heroism” (Cloie Green) and “Nothing Left to Lose” (Rylie Toolan).
Natalie Skeba serenaded the audience with “American Solider.” Other musical performances that added to the atmosphere in the auditorium were “I Won’t Back Down” sung by Dylan Ofner. As an added tribute, Ava Peregrin sang “Hallelujah-Veteran’s Version.”
To bring the ceremony to a close, Albion Nasufi played “Taps” during the Recess of Colors.
The simple saying of “Thank You” is one that every soldier should hear in order for them to know how much we are truly grateful for the sacrifices they have made in order for us to enjoy the freedoms we do every day. The Carbondale Area School District thanks our veterans for their service and sacrifice for our country so we can have the freedoms we enjoy today.
