Veteran’s Day showcases band, orchestra, and patriotism

Continuing a MacArthur tradition, the Veterans Day assembly upholds patriotism as a core value for the school.

On Thursday, November 10, from 8:00 am to 8:30 AM, MacArthur Fundamental held an assembly, in the quad, for all students and staff of MacArthur to help us remember and honor the Veterans who served and or are currently serving. 

The reason behind this assembly being held was the fact that “it’s a MacArthur tradition,” said Principal Mr. Ray Gonzales. Gonzales thought it was important to hold this assembly since “ we should all honor and remember the Veterans who gave us freedom.”  During this assembly, songs were played, speeches were given, questions were asked and answered, and information about Veteran’s day was passed around.

Some of the songs played were “The Star Spangled Banner”, “Our Heros”, “The Lone Standing Eagle” and more.  

All MacArthur students attended this assembly which made it easier and faster to help students and staff get informed about Veterans Day and its importance. Many students including eighth-grader Elizabeth V. thought that the assembly was informational and entertaining. “My favorite part of the assembly was when they started to put up the banners and the music was starting to begin,” said Elizabeth.

A memorable moment of this assembly was when Gonzales gave a brief speech about who our school is named after. Our school is named after Douglas MacArthur a General in the American Military who commanded the Southwest Pacific during World War ll, which was from the years of 1939 until 1945, and succeeded in overseeing the successful Allied occupation of postwar Japan and help led the United Nations forces into the Korean War (1950-1953). Though Gonzales does not know the reasoning behind why our school is named after MacArthur he believes that MacArthur has some sort of connection to Orange County since he is also named after the street “MacArthur”.

Eighth-grader Max C. also enjoyed this assembly.  “The music was my favorite part. It was very peaceful,” said Max and also found this assembly interesting. “I found it interesting, but it was kind of short for an assembly we normally have.”

Even though Veterans Day is a very important holiday to remember. There are also many different holidays on which we honor and remember many different public figures and heroes who helped the American people and nation. One of these holidays is Martin Luther King Jr. Day. This is a day is to remember and celebrate Dr. King’s fearless days when he was an activist. Dr. King led the movement to end segregation and counter prejudice in the United States peacefully and effectively. His most famous speech, which you may know is, “I Have A Dream”.