Garfield/Palouse students honor local veterans

More than three hundred students, families and residents from the Garfield and Palouse area honored local veterans at a morning assembly Nov. 5 at the Garfield-Palouse Middle School. The event was attended by the elementary, middle and high school students and staff from Garfield and Palouse, as well as from Oakesdale elementary.

The program, organized and directed by music teacher Rebecca Hemphill, started with a presentation of the colors by a Garfield Color Guard, comprised of veterans Don Kriebel, Dick Kriebel, Bob Miller and Penny Martinez. The Garfield-Palouse School Singers, with soloist Emmy Gregg and accompanist Mary Wiley, performed the song "We Will Not Forget," the theme of this year's assembly.

Each veteran present was introduced by Middle School ASB President Mitchell Jamison. That was followed by the reading of a poem honoring the veterans and composed by student contest winner Mitchell Dymkoski. Keynote speaker was George Maupin, a Vietnam veteran and KHQ morning meteorologist.

The event concluded with the Garfield-Palouse School Singers performing "You Are Our Heroes," with soloist Kassandra Woodall, flutist Amanda Bullock and oboist Ruth Vertrees.

The veterans then had an opportunity to talk directly with the students and hear first-hand the gratitude of their communities for their service to the country.