At the start of Mod B, Principal Dwuilt addressed the high school in observance of Veterans Day. Here is a transcript of Dwulit’s statement, who served as a parachute jumper in Iraq and Saudi Arabia prior to her career in education:
“Good morning, Lopes. I appreciate a few minutes of your time for recognition of today, November 11th. Veterans Day is a day of honor, gratitude, and perspective. We are here, we are fortunate. And each of us is worth being fought for…our freedoms, our voices, and our humanity. The choice to serve our nation requires courage and sacrifice…and each then, a story to tell. Today I ask you to think of the story you want to write. What impact will you make? Will your story be filled with integrity, beauty, strength, adventure, and a life full of helping others….or will you fall to immaturity and destructive actions? Learn from people you like, and even more from those that you don’t.
You are worth a grand story. I challenge you to write one. Thank you for the support and respect you have always shown to me. Today, recognize our veterans, but also yourself and the opportunities that lie ahead. Dig in and accomplish your goals. And don’t be afraid to ask for help along the way.
I wanted to share a few lines from an poem called Old Glory…it is one that always gave me hope on the darkest, most difficult days of service overseas. The flag means many things to many people…but today I share these words.
(segments from “Old Glory”)
I am the flag of the United States of America.
My name is Old Glory. Look up and see me. I am confident. I am proud.
I am recognized all over the world. I am loved and feared.
I have fought in every battle of every war for more than 200 years:
Gettysburg, Shilo, ……, the trenches of France, ……., Anzio, Rome, the beaches of Normandy, Okinawa, Japan, Korea, and, in the Persian Gulf and a score of places long forgotten, by all but those who were there with me. I was there.
I led my Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen and Marines. I followed them and watched over them. They loved me. I was dirty, battle-worn and tired.
I have been a silent witness. My finest hour comes when I am torn in strips to be used as bandages for my wounded comrades on the field of battle – when I fly at half mast to honor my Soldiers, my Airman, my Sailors, my Marines, and – when I lie in the trembling arms of a grieving mother, at the graveside of her fallen son or daughter. I am proud. My name is “Old Glory.” Long may I wave.
For those that participated, I have never seen a more beautiful display than the flag that you created for me with your words. I am so very grateful and humbled.
If you haven’t seen it, please stop in the office and share in the awesome and beautiful flag.
Now, please stand and join me for the Pledge of Allegiance.”
Below are photos of Dwulit overseas while she was active duty:
Here is the full transcript of the poem Old Glory:
Mrs. Selep and Mrs James worked with students and faculty throughout the past two weeks to create a replica flag filled with notes of appreciation for Dr. Dwulit’s service.
“Last year I had my students do little stars, with sentiments of appreciation for Dr. Dwulit, and we put them together in a vase of some sort, and my students presented that to her. This year I would’ve done my students again, but I wasn’t feeling like I was hitting the whole population of the school, so I talked to Caroline Beck, one of my students, who works with Mrs. James, and asked her if she could maybe run this by Mrs. James, to see if Mrs. James had any ideas, ” said Mrs. Selep about the flag pictured above.
“So then she and I worked together and said we could either do a flag, or we could do chuck Taylor tennis shoes, like with flags on them, and I thought that the flag would be kind of cool… so Mrs. James and I decided that we would hit all the English classes. So students were given strips of red white and blue paper and they could write their sentiments on the red white and blue paper that would make the stripes of the flag, and the staff was given stars, which would be the stars of the flag. So that’s how that came to fruition, and then Brayden Wisniewski and Mrs. James they worked on assembling the flag.”
Students had both personal connections and opinions on Veterans Day:



Do you have any family in the military? “My grandfather served in the military.”
Photo by: Cooper Powell
