Director of Veterans Affairs Kevin Jarvis giving a speech. Photo by Courtney Fitzgerald.
On May 23, 2019, Malden High School held a Memorial Day assembly in the Jenkins auditorium during period 2. The assembly was attended by graduating seniors Michelle Chan and Web and Mobile Apps Editor in Chief Abhishek Rana as well as junior and Blue and Gold Head of Sports, Sara Zakaria, as speakers. Principal Christopher Mastrangelo, Superintendent John Oteri, and Director of Veterans Affairs Kevin Jarvis also spoke.
The assembly had started with Chan giving the opening regards, followed by Oteri giving the opening speech and how the students should thank a veteran if they spot one. Chan came back to introduce the Choral Arts Society’s Concert Choir group who performed the first two verses of the Star Spangled Banner. The attendees remained standing for Pledge of Allegiance.
After the pledge, Rana recited the Gettysburg Address and Zakaria recited the poem We Walked Among the Crosses. Mastrangelo then talked about the significance of Memorial Day and how he knows some people who were in the military and didn’t come home. “All the things we take for granted is because they were granted for us,” stated Mastrangelo during his speech.
Javis, who further talked about Memorial Day and its connection to MHS, mentioned the amount of MHS graduates who went into the military after high school. “In the last hundred years, Malden has lost over 350 men and women, most of whom went to [Malden High School]. In WWI we lost 75 people who died from diseases… WWll we lost 236…” Jarvis mentioned these statistics in his speech.
Jarvis also mentioned the memorials that are around Malden to honor those who had died serving the military, such as the Bell Rock Memorial Park. Another memorial will be put up to honor a fallen soldier who was from Malden. The ringing of eight bells, done in the naval forces to represent hope and peace, was done by Chan.
After the ringing, senior Jesaias Benitez and sophomore Wilson Chau played “TAPS” with their trumpets. Followed this performance, Concert Choir sang another song called the ‘Battle Hymn of the Republic.’
Malden held their Memorial Day parade on Monday, May 27 from 11 am to 12:30 pm.
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