A brisk wind whipped the formation of flags into 2/4 time, as if they, too, were following conductor Jared Henderson. With the backdrop of marching stars and stripes, the music teacher led the John Jay High School Band in anthems honoring each branch of the military.
The stirring sights and sounds of John Jay High School’s Field of Honor took place on the school’s front lawn. The annual Veterans Day event is hosted by JJ4Vets Club, advised by teacher Candy Wilmot. It’s a student-led tribute for local veterans, students’ family members who have served, and faculty and staff who are former members of the armed forces.
One of the club’s members, junior Ellie Purnick, was inspired to join the club when she came to the Field of Honor last year with her teacher Maria Mellon. This year, her grandfather Thomas Fogarty sat in front with other veterans.
Knowing people who served is one of the inspirations for the Field of Honor.
“I’ve been a member of JJ4Vets for three years,” said club president Blake O’Callahan. “My grandfather served.”
“There are 20 John Jay graduates currently serving in the military,” said Clark Petschek, Chair of the Bedford Veterans Advisory Committee, in his address at the Field of Honor. “They are carrying forward the proud tradition of service. Members of the armed forces don’t come from somewhere else. They come from communities like this.”
Students in Design and Draw for Production were among those in the audience. “The Field of Honor is a wonderful tradition,” said teacher Annabelle Rolland.
Mellon brought her students this year as well. “They were proud to be part of this meaningful event.”