Wednesday, October 11, 2006

Veterans for Peace


Today in class we were honored to have to members of the Veterans for Peace organization join us about their experience in the military. Ms Groebner contacted the non-partisan speakers to share their experiences and choices they made during the 1960’s while the country was recruiting soldiers during our armed conflict in Vietnam.

Their message was simple. They cautioned our graduating seniors against the dangers of racism that had been instilled in them during basic training and spoke about the danger of not having an action plan after graduation from high school.

Impressed by the positive culture that exudes from each student and faculty member as you walk through the halls of the building, Dayl Wise (Speaker) said, “I arrived here early and I was totally impressed, not only with the school’s physical environment, but with the attitude of the student body... you can tell that there is something special going on here.” Dayl has spoke at numerous high schools throughout the country and clearly has a solid basis for comparison.

Ms. Grantz, Mr. Shatz, Mr. Eddelson, Mr. Brown, and Ms, Groebner would like to extend a warm thanks to Dayl Wise and Jim Murphy for coming to our school and sharing their experiences with a (Montessori and Friere) Participation in Government class. I personally would like to thank Ruth for once agian providing such a rich educational environment in my classroom.

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1 comment:

Mighty Mojo said...

The speakers today were amazing and I was completely enraptured (Sam Hollaran said she couldn't remember ever being so "speechless" -- that definitely says something...!). Mr. Murphy was terribly funny while discussing such a serious topic and really held our attention. Mr. Wise was particularly moving and engaging, bringing us directly into Vietnam and Cambodia with him and showing us his experiences, especially the image of the little girl standing in front of him as he walked through her house wielding an M-16. I've actually begun a poem about him and it will appear on the QHST Literary Magazine (www.qhstlitmag.blogspot.com) as soon as it's edited.

I also thank the gentlemen for visiting us and I hope that they will return to speak with other classes in QHST, as they impart memorable and invaluable stories and caution.
Thank you!

~joanna vogel