Greenback students build
monument to military service Amy Beth Miller thedailytimes.com Greenback School unveiled a new military Wall of Honor on Wednesday built by students with community support. The sign near the school’s main entrance says “Greenback honors all of our students who have served, are serving, and will serve,” and it is flanked by emblems for the U.S. Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines, National Guard and Coast Guard. “We wanted it to be in a visible spot, so it will be a constant reminder,” said Assistant Principal Tonya Cope.
“We did it out of respect,” said senior Nathan Wampler, who worked
on the project. “We want everyone to know that Greenback cares.”
A dedication ceremony Wednesday morning included about 20 veterans,
as well as community, school and government leaders. Veteran Ken
Shockley, whose patriotism helped inspire the project, also was
honored.
Eleven students worked on the monument, including a core group of
five who handled the main construction. Although school officials
originally thought the wall wouldn’t be complete until the next
school year, students worked to finish it before four seniors
working on the project graduated.
“Lots of those kids gave up their own time, Saturdays and after
school,” Cope said.
Carpentry teacher Gray Williams led the main group of students,
including Wampler and fellow seniors Kevin Ogle, Jake Rhyne and
Frank Roy, as well as Kevin Coada. The support group, which worked
on the landscaping, was led by agriculture teacher Katie Edwards and
carpentry teacher Dan O’Neill and included Austin Anderson, Kevin
Sayne, Ryan Guard, Brennan Weeks, Cory Burchfield and Garrick
Robinson.
Donations of time and materials for the project came from Lee
Heights Monument, Lambcon Ready Mix, General Shale and Bo Lee
Masonry.
“Service is a value we try to instill in our students every day,”
Cope said, and the monument and people it honors will be a reminder
of that.
After graduation, Wampler and Ogle will be joining the Army.
“I knew college would not be the next best thing for me,” Wampler
said of his choice to join the Army and be a horizontal construction
engineer. Wampler said he couldn’t imaging spending four more years
in school right now, or even four more weeks.
Ogle, who will be a truck driver in the Army, agreed with that
sentiment. After laying brick for the wall, they’re not eager to go
into masonry right now either.
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5/16/16