Chapel Hill High School holds Veterans Day assembly, celebrating honor and service

Published 5:45 am Tuesday, November 12, 2024

CHAPEL HILL — Veterans were honored Monday at Chapel Hill High School during a poignant assembly that brought together students, faculty, and local veterans to reflect on the sacrifices made by members of the armed forces.

“We do this program annually, to respect veterans who have either graduated from Chapel Hill High School or our family members of students and staff here,” said Kenya Castellanos, junior class vice president. “We do this to make sure they feel recognized for the hard work they have put into our country.”

The program featured a heartfelt speech from local veteran Joseph Hewitt, who is also the Director of Bands and Fine Arts Director for Chapel Hill ISD. Hewitt spoke about the need to honor veterans and the crucial role today’s youth will have in shaping the future.

“I think it’s important that our students understand what it means and what it meant (for me) to be an enlisted soldier, an enlisted Marine and now a veteran,” Hewitt said. “There’s a lot of pride, and I hope that the students will pick up on the pride that we as veterans feel when we walk in a room.”

Hewitt approached a faculty member about a year ago with a request to address the students during the Veterans Day assembly. He felt compelled to speak about the importance of respecting veterans and the country. Hewitt acknowledged that while the nation hasn’t lost everything, he believes today’s generation needs a reminder of the vital role they play as the future of the country.

“I think we forget about our veterans sometimes,” he said. “It’s sometimes treated as just another school day, and we have the opportunity to educate them… whether it’s one student or 101. So, I was excited to share a message with them that would impact them in a way to carry it forward.”

Hewitt opened up to the audience about his difficult childhood, growing up in poverty and an abusive household with a mother struggling with alcoholism and drug addiction. He also shared with the students and faculty that, as a child, he would bring an empty lunchbox to school to collect the leftover food his friends didn’t want or finish, which he would then take home to share with his brother and sister.

“We work in a school district where we do have a lot of low socioeconomic students that struggle and, unfortunately, there are parts of home life that might not be the most desirable to go home to,” he said. “I wanted to share with them that no matter what you’re going through, you, as an individual, can make the decision to get yourself out of … a cycle …”

He also shared that at the age of 9, he watched his father go to prison and didn’t see him again until Hewitt was in his late thirties. He went on to explain how, after high school, he joined the United States Marine Corps in search of direction, particularly after being told he would amount to little in life. However, he told the students they did not have to be in the military to know about loyalty and service.

“One of the things I really hope that they’ll take away were the three things I spoke about: Honor, courage and commitment,” Hewitt said. “To have the honor to be yourself, have the courage to be yourself and then commit to helping others become a better self — a better person.”

Hewitt emphasized the importance of recognizing shared humanity. He explained that while personal, political or religious beliefs are significant to each individual, it’s crucial to approach sharing those beliefs with others with openness, resilience and confidence.

“But at the same time, I would like to say what my brother in law once said: Every conversation doesn’t have to be a debate,” Hewitt said. “Every conversation can just be sharing your feelings, and I think if our students would just listen to people talk versus ready to debate, I think that we would learn a lot about each other and it would be easier to love one another.”

For the students, learning about a faculty member so close to them was eye opening.

“It made me realize that a lot of people end up serving the country because of the background that they come from,” Castellanos said. “They may not have a good home, they may not have a good life at home, and so it really shows how dedicated he was to this country, and to get out of the situation that he was in.”

The program also included the performance of the National Anthem by the CHHS Honors Band, the Pledge of Allegiance led by Annette Argote, and a prayer by Ryder Steele. Following these, Enady Jose and Alissa Dunn presented the Wreath of Remembrance then a Moment of Silence with the playing of Taps by the CHHS Honors Band.

The program recognized the veterans in attendance and honored the branches of service they represented, with the presentation of their respective flags followed by the playing of their official anthems. This was followed by a performance of “America the Beautiful” by brothers Jonathan and Jeremias Rivera.

“I hope that (my peers) truly recognize how much respect we really need to give to our veterans and we need to honor all of those who have really put their lives on the line for our country,” Castellanos said.

Tymariana Grinnell, a signal support specialist for the U.S. Army National Guard, who currently lives in Tyler, found the program particularly meaningful in relation to today’s youth.

“I really thought that it spoke about this generation,” she said. “I feel like a lot of our younger generations have a hard time feeling things about themselves that makes them want to join or just to be great people overall. I feel like they have kind of some issues with identity. So I think that having… honor, integrity and leadership actually speaks a lot that if you have those inside yourself, there’s nothing nobody can say about you or to deter you or anything.”

Grinnell enjoys being able to take advantage of what the military offers, such as free college and health insurance, which extends to family as well.

“My wife gets free college, we get a lot of benefits,” she said. “People don’t realize that you can sign a four-year contract and you can get a whole bachelor’s degree for free for four years.”

To support veterans, Grinnell suggests looking for programs that benefit veterans, and see about volunteering or donating to relevant causes, such as Wounded Warrior Project. There’s also CampV and the Smith County Veteran Services Office available for local veterans.

“Mental health is still a common problem among veterans,” Grinnell said. “The military has gotten better but once you’re out, it’s very hard to get that support. I know a lot of people think we sign up for this but… it’s still hard.”

Grinnell joined at 18 and has completed six years of tours in Kuwait, Iraq, Jordan, and more, with hopes of continuing her military career. “I would love to keep going and continue for my 20 years,” she said.

For Hewitt, he hopes sharing his journey will leave the students with a deeper understanding of the values that defines veterans and the impact of service.

“I enjoyed being able to share what I learned as a young man, as a young adolescent, which helped me in the Marine Corps,” he said. “A lot of what the Marines offered helped me to be the man who I am today.”