001Welcome to the stage the Crimson Tide Marching Band under the direction of Mr. O'Brien. Welcome to the 2025 Memorial Day program led by Mr. Mrs. Catchmarik right here. And what this whole show is about is a tribute to our veterans, the number one people in this country. Let's hear for our veterans. Raise your hand if you're a veteran. Thank you so much. We're going to start today's program with your grand old flag. Please join in. Are you good? [Music] Heat. Heat. [Music] Heat. Heat. [Music] [Applause] [Music] Hey, Here you go. There you [Music] are. [Music] Heat. [Music] Heat. Heat. [Music] All right. [Music] Hey, hey, hey. [Music] Hey, hey, hey. [Music] [Applause] I'd like to play one more time and we'll be out of here. Okay. I want your heart. I almost [Music] ready. Heat.
002Heat. [Music] Hey, hey, hey. [Music] [Applause] First row. Hey, hey, hey. [Music] Look at this. [Music] I love you. [Music] Mother. [Music] Heat. Heat. [Music] Hi, my name is Devon Abra. I'm the head teacher at the Webster School. Memorial Day is a wonderful opportunity for Americans to show our love for our country and our appreciation for all those who fought for us. Hi, my name is Wendy and I'm in fourth grade and this is what Memorial Day means to me. Memorial Day is not just a day off. Memorial Day is a reminder of the brave men and women who gave their lives protecting our country. It's also a day to be thankful for the heroes who died fighting for our future. Hello, my name is This is how Memorial Day is important. Memorial Day is
003a day and honor the men and women who die for our country. My name is Alejandra and I'm in third grade. I'm going to say what Memorial Day means to me. Memorial Day is a national holiday that honors soldiers that have sacrificed their lives for America. Memorial Day is important because the fallen soldiers are people who were fighting for us. Hello, my name is Raymond and this is how Memorial Day is important. Memorial Day means honoring the men and women who lost their life fighting for our country. I would like to welcome to the stage Everett Public Schools Superintendent William D. Hart. [Applause] Well, good evening everybody and welcome to Everett High School and of course the performing arts center here. I want to welcome all our families and friends and guests. And of course,
004we're here tonight to honor our men and women who served our nation so bravely over the many wars and years well before our time. During tonight's performance, you will see and hear our students convey the significance and profound meaning of Memorial Day through music, song, poetry, drama, and dance. I'd like to thank all of our students and faculty for the work that they do putting this evening together. It's not a quick hit. It's a long process that each of our students fully engage in. And our faculty and staff welcome the opportunity to do this work. I'm going to now ask all of you in the audience and here around the stage to please stand as we join together in pledging our allegiance to our national anthem. Students from across the city of Everett leading us
005in our pledge. pledge. And please remain standing for our national anthem that will be played by the Everett High School Orchestra. I pledge algiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the republic for which it stands, one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. [Music] Glory to God. [Music] Hallelujah. [Music] [Applause] You may be seated. Um, it's a lot of hard work that has gone into this evening's performance. So, we would appreciate everyone's respect. Thank you so much. And ultimately the respect for the men and women that gave the ultimate sacrifice for our nation. Thank you. And without further ado, I'd like to welcome to the stage our director of veterans affairs, Antoine Coleman. Thank you so much, Mr. K. Thank you to Mr. and Mrs. K, the
006production team, and all the kids that put on an amazing performance. As a VSO, we have a little uh bet every year as to who city puts on the best memorial service. And I've won three years in a row, so let's just keep that going. Everybody is so surprised. I mean, it's really the violins, you guys, the string section. You guys are undefeated. Let's be honest. Um, as a as a veteran, as a Marine, like for me, this just means so much to me. Just watching the kids just learn about what it means to represent your country, to represent a veterans who have done so much and just understanding and seeing them explain what Memorial Day means to them. It just hits me right in the heart because you know when you're over there and
007you're overseas, it's just you you need to know what you're fighting for and like this is what I remember every time. This is what I thought about the city of Everett, where I came from, what like what we were fighting for, the freedoms we were fighting for. So, thank you guys for so always putting on a great show. Thank you, Mr. Thank you to the production team. Thank you to our city. Thank you for all your support. Thank you guys. [Music] Okay. [Music] Look. Hallelujah. Hallelujah. Hallelujah. [Music] Hallelujah. [Music] Did you hear? [Music] Heat. [Music] Heat. [Music] Heat. [Music] Heat. Heat. [Music] [Applause] Hi, my name is Arthur. Um, going home. How did you feel when you found out you were going home? Amazing. Amazing. Like, I guess there really is no better feeling than
008knowing that you're getting closer cuz you can kind of feel it as you get closer. Uh, but like knowing like, okay, tomorrow we're going home. It's just like, you know, you're coming back to the world, but you also realize like a lot of things have happened that you don't know. And I guess that was like a big realization for me. It's like cuz time doesn't stop back home. You know what I mean? Like my brother had a baby when I was gone. Like, so it's just like you're coming back and everyone's like, "Oh, oh, you're back." You know what I mean? But it's like for you it's like you you thought like, "Oh, must world must have stopped." But you come back and realize like everything kind of kept going. So it's kind of bittersweet,
009I guess, the best way to put it. like you're really excited to get home but then realize like everybody was still living when you were gone, you know? So, we used to have this calendar. Oh, we used to have this huge calendar. It had a little plane and it went down like that. Every single day you used to mark off the days short time. That's right. Um so when I was finally down there it was very very exciting to get back home you know but it I was ambivalent about it too. I considered re reopening at that time but I wanted to go back to school and that's the reason why I got off. If I thought about it now I think I wish wish I had stayed in for my 20 years. So but
010I did have a good a better a good career after that. So it was good. Yeah, it's very exciting when it's time to go. But then when you get home after a while it's the same. It's like you never left. The only thing different is everybody got older. You see your your parents look at they were older now. Everybody's older. That's all. Everything else mean everything else was the same. That's I don't know what to say really. It was it was nice to come home though. But your friends are different. Your friends are doing different things. You end up getting different friends. But that's life, you know. I would say I actually wasn't ready to come home and I actually ended up staying longer. Um my unit had left and then me and um four
011other of the soldiers in our unit, we extended so we stayed um a couple extra months overseas. And I think cuz I was blessed enough to have a good experience because not everyone does have a good experience that I was just like, "Oh, I'm not ready to leave yet." as he mentioned, like that bittersweet feeling, but mine was more so like, okay, like I'm ready to come home, but not really cuz I had developed such a good community over there and I enjoyed the people I was around. So, I was like, I'm not ready to leave you. And it was really warm over there and I was like, come back to Massachusetts. It's going to be very cold and I wasn't ready cuz I hadn't felt the cold in like a year. So, I was
012like, I don't know. Um, but I did again the home-cooked meals definitely. And then just like seeing my friends and family, I did miss that, but I do miss overseas, too. So, The cost to freedom. Sacrifices are made when in need of freedom. Was it worth the scare and acts of gruesome family members so in disbelief? The scars can fade away, but the memories express grief. Sacrifices are made when in need of freedom. fighting for us in our country. Few cannot fathom. Their lives are on the line protecting anyone and everyone. Respect is deserved for all who have fallen and won. Sacrifices are made when in need of freedom. Families cry to see their loved one gone. And it takes time to get accustomed. We all mourn and cherish their commitment. I admire them for
013staying strong and for staying consistent. Sacrifices are made when in need of freedom. The pain will stick forever. Yet they make their lives wholesome, making sure every moment counts. We honor them for having no doubts. The weight of a gold star. My shining star came so far. You gave it your all, but you answered freedom's painful call. My heart was heavy, my hands were gold, the sky was gray, the wind was cold. The cost of freedom to hide a bear. It's paid by parents left in despair. A parents heart can never rest from emptiness that fills their chest. The weight of loss, the loss of love is all in part of the aching heart. The golden star shined in the eye to remind you of the love left behind. My shining star came so far.
014Your courage shown. Your spirits glow. Shown in the gleam of the eye. The honor that you left behind. Our heroes. American hero. Soldiers are brave and strong. They keep us safe all year long. They are heroes in many ways, especially on the hardest days. Some people wear a red poppy flower to remember their strength and power. They fought so we could all be free. Our heroes in history. We think of them with love and pride and feel a little sad inside. We wish they were here to see how thankful we will always be. Freedom comes with a price. Many of us now are born free, but we forget how that came to be. So many soldiers who died for our rights, we often forget their heavy price. So many families left without their son. That's
015why we enjoy the freedoms they won. Brave soldiers who march for their homelands call. They defend the rights to be given to all. The soldiers who protect us every day. Left their families to give their life away. The person who was once their little girl or boy is now our country's hero, pride and joy. We will always honor what they did, remembering them no matter what. We thank you with a farewell bid with a flag on your casket until it is shut. [Applause] Thank you for your service and sacrifice. Our soldiers were called to protect our country. Each of them matters like you and I. They are braver than most. We are thankful, but we still cry. We will remember them always. We will miss the ones that that passed. We will honor them with
016praise. They only did what they asked. Thank you for your service and sacrifice. The cost of freedom. People are willing to sacrifice and have a lot to bore. But is it worth the price to have the freedom we all long for? Some will leave behind their families and others their loved ones. Some will even surrender their own freedom that they once held so dear. As the soldiers receive their scars on the battlefield, they leave it all. Their families accept accept a golden star while tears of love and sorrow [Applause] fall. The painful cost of freedom. They came so far across the sea to find a land where they are free. They work so hard and hope to stay to live their life a better way. Their children live in fear. Their parents could be taken
017somewhere nowhere near. They beg and pray to stay one more day, hoping tomorrow won't take their family away. They try so hard and do their best. They never stop, and they never rest. But people say they cannot stay, no matter what they do or say. They hold on to what they've made. How they're treated leaves them afraid. They wonder if they will ever be accepted, or if their presence here will continue to be rejected. For now, we pray their future is bright. And one day, they will feel all right. But until then, we must they must carry on in a world that makes them feel like they do not belong. [Applause] [Music] Heat. Heat. [Music] [Applause] Woohoo! Wow! [Music] This is My [Music] America freom [Music] Change of To thee we [Music] sing every [Music]
018mountain to the author of liberty to thee we say and to thee we sing may our land be bright with [Music] freom our king by Mary [Music] [Applause] [Music] in the room. It was you who was standing there. It was true as your glance [Laughter] met. But your hearts off. I tried to go to follow to kneel down at your [Music] feet. I'll [Music] run I'll run to you. I'll run. I'll [Music] run to you. I've been scores. I've been fighting so long, but [Music] I'one broken bones and tacos. I've run out of time. I'll [Music] run to you. I'll run. I'll run. I'll run to you. I will break down the gates of heaven. A thousand angels stand waiting for me. Take me [Music] [Applause] [Music] high. Break my shles to set me free.
019[Music] I'll run to you. I'll run [Music] I'll run I'll run to you. [Music] [Applause] At this time, we'd like to welcome to the stage our state representative, Joseph McGonagal, Jr. [Applause] Thank you, Mr. Cam. Good evening, everyone. On behalf. Hi. Hi, Antoine. What a great job Antoine does. Our VSO officer. I I can't say enough how much I brag about him all around the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Tremendous job. And Jerry, I see Jerry Hiden over there with him. Another great advocate for veterans here. Thank you, Jerry. So, good evening everyone. On behalf of the Massachusetts House of Representatives and myself as chairman of the Veterans Affairs, what an honor it is for me to speak to you tonight. I'd like to thank uh Superintendent Hart for the kind invitation and all he does to
020support our schools, our teachers, and yes, our veterans. And I'd also like to take a moment to to congratulate our talented musicians and vocalists here as well as their teachers for another incredible year of work. And I'm and I'm grateful that our schools in Everett take the time to remember and honor Memorial Day because Memorial Day has always been special to me. But now, as the House Chair of Veterans Affairs, I'm thrilled that I can do more to honor the fallen and serve more of our Massachusetts veterans. So, ladies and gentlemen, we hear this all the time. Memorial Day, it is. It's the unofficial start of summer. A long weekend with warm weather filled with cookouts and spending time outdoors. But to be here tonight, it is extremely important and I want to thank you
021all for being here to remember why we have Memorial Day. The men and women who fought and died for this country, made the ultimate sacrifice so we could live freely and be here tonight. And we truly are. As the students sang earlier and spoke earlier in their poems, we truly are the land of the free because of the brave. And though I feel we should be honoring veterans and our fallen service members all year long, it is especially significant to take this day in this weekend to reflect on their sacrifices. And whether it be planting flags at cemeteries like we do here in Everett or reading about those who lost their lives for our country or just taking a moment this weekend of gratitude, why Memorial Day exists. So, I hope you all enjoy this
022long weekend with your friends and family, but I ask that you please remember why we have Memorial Day. In the midst of your cookouts and whether you make it to the beach, say a silent thanks to those who are no longer with us. And I challenge I challenge everyone here this evening. You students, parents, guardians, teachers, I challenge you to Google an ever veteran soldier that was KIA killed in action. Read and learn about where they lived and how they lived in Everett and you'll read how they died giving us giving us the supreme sacrifice and and Memorial Day will stick with you for quite a while. It stuck with me for the rest of my life. So I ask you to do that because that's the best way we can how we can honor
023them is to never never forget their names or their stories. So God bless you. God bless the Commonwealth of Massachusetts and God bless America. Thank you. [Applause] Welcome to the Webster School. Chris Barrett, the principal of this wonderful school community. Uh, one of the most important pieces we really strive to focus on here at the Webster School is building leadership and an understanding of our community and most importantly our country. One of the pieces we talk about regularly is the importance of Memorial Day and the dedication of our veterans not only in our community but in our country. As you can see behind me, we celebrate our veterans each and every day. Memorial Day is one of those special days of the year as every day should be special to celebrate our veterans. But it's
024one day of the year that we really celebrate and we remember the men and women who paid the ultimate sacrifice for our country. The city of Everett has put in their not only the dedication of their veterans, but through their blood, we have sacrificed much to serve our country. And I know the city of veteran has given many of their men and women to our country to make sure that we remain the greatest country in the history of the world. At the Webster School, we celebrate our veterans. On this Memorial Day, we remember those men and women who gave the ultimate sacrifice for our country. From the Webster school to the city of effort and to the United States, we thank all of our veterans for their dedication. May God bless you. My my name
025is Emma and this is what Memorial Day means to me. Memorial Memorial Day is an important is important to me because it allows me to honor and remember the sacrifices made by brave men and women in the military, including my dad who is currently serving this great nation. It's a special time to to reflect on their on their courage and commitment to keep our country safe. It it gave me a chance to spend time with my family and friends and learn more about the history of our nation. Hi. Hi. My name is Moises and this is what Memorial Me day means to me. Memorial Day is a special day in in the United States of America. Um the day is about what what the people what the people in the army fought for us. They
026they fought for our freedom are a way to to make our choices and and it's not all about the fighting. It's also about the people who who helped them like the people who when when they fought in wars the the people it's not all about wars too. It's the people who help them like when when they are hurt. It it's it's about when when they like got scratched and and the people who helped them. It's it's it's not about all like all about fighting. It's and this is also means to me too. Um, it it means when when they fought and I I like the fact when they fought because when when I came here, I I was a little boy and and my my country was different and we didn't have like the same
027freedom choices as here. [Applause] [Music] Heat. Heat. [Music] Heat. [Music] Heat. Heat. Heat. [Music] Heat. Heat. [Music] [Applause] [Music] Heat. [Music] Heat. Heat. Heat. [Music] [Applause] Um, my second question for you guys is, what would you want people to know about this time in history? I would say I would want anybody to know that your experience is your own. Um, you know, prior to joining the military, you might ask people like, "Hey, what's your experience been like?" or what it's like. Everyone has a unique experience. Even if you're in the same unit, even if you join together, everyone has their own unique experience. So, I would say yes, ask people about their experiences, do your own research, but just know if it's something that you feel like is for you, don't be afraid to go
028at it. Even if you join along, because again, like I have nothing bad to say about my military experience. Thankfully, that's not everyone's experience. But it is what you make of it as well. Like I see it somewhat as also like a 9 to5 because some of the things you deal with in the military you also deal with in the civilian life. Sometimes you have a boss you don't like. Sometimes you work with people you don't like. That's just part of life. Um but I would want you to know that if you decide to join um the experience is a lot of what you make of it and that don't let someone like negatively influence you into either doing it or not doing it. you know, if you feel in your gut like I want
029to do this, then you should do that because whether you go active duty or reserve, the contract's not forever. So once you have one experience, if you don't want to do it anymore, you don't have to. Um, but yeah, that would be my Well, in the Navy, you do a lot of traveling, constantly traveling, constantly on the road. If you like that, it's good experience. But when you get when you pull the ship in, it's just a regular job 9 to5. You can get an apartment, you can do anything you want, you know, to go to work on the ship. So it's it's good. You know, I think one of the best things that I liked about the army when I think about it is the discipline. Everybody had a job. Everybody knew what their
030job was. Everybody was expected to do their job. And everybody did their job. There was never any arguing about anything. You knew what you had to do and you did it. It's plain and simple. And I like that. I like structure. I like knowing what I need to do and I like doing it. And I like I expect that of other people too. You know what your job is. Do it. Don't goof off. Do your job. If you did that, you were golden. You didn't have a problem with anything. I think for me, um, what I would want, uh, you know, kids to know about my experience in the military is just it is what you make it. I think that she said it best. Uh it's just it is what you make it. How
031hard you work, how much you put into it is what you get out of it. And I to echo I just the discipline of it. Like she said, doing do your job. Like you know the person next to you is going to do their job because we all have a mission to accomplish. And it's just something about the confidence in knowing that everybody has the same mission. Everybody has the same goal. I think that is something that I love about the military and I want people to know about it. The more you do the more the more you do your job better. the more money you make too. Your rate goes up. You make more money that way, you know. Absolutely. And that's the And that's the biggest thing. It's like it's what you make
032out of it. So, if you're having a bad experience, you just got to turn it around to another. Finding your lane. Find what you do best. Find what makes what makes it work for you. And I think that's the best thing I would want people to know. Thank you. I'm very glad for every single one of you. Thank you for your time. Have a good rest of your day. Thank you. All right. Um I'm Antoine Coleman again, the veteran service officer for Everett, Massachusetts. You can find me at 90 Chelsea Street uh at the Armory on the first floor where the first door on the right. Um if any veterans or need anything for benefit wise or just information, I'm right there. My office is open from 8 to 4 Monday through Thursday and 8
033to 12 on Friday. I just want to thank my fellow veterans for taking some time out of their day. Uh one of my biggest goals since I started was to get the veterans and the youth closer together. So this is just us taking those steps. So I appreciate everybody's time today. Thank you guys so much for giving us some of your time and attention. And I appreciate it, guys. Uh, and I hope you all join the military because it's worth it. Thank you. Thank you so much, guys. At this time, please welcome to the stage, State Senator Sal D. Dominico. Good evening everyone. All right. I apologize I'm late. We're in Senate budget right now, but I wanted to come over and say hello and I run back to the state house. But I had
034to be here tonight because this is an important night for our city. It's an important night for our veterans, our military families, and our young people who are here tonight to honor our heroes. This is not normal around the state. I want you to all know that we live in Everett. We kind of take things for granted sometimes. This is how it is everywhere else. This is not how it is in other communities. Everett is a special place. We teach our our students not just math, science, and English. We teach our kids patriotism. Teach them respect for our veterans. Honor traditions. And by doing this with our schools, our superintendent Bill Hart, Gene O'Brien, music coordinator, the m the the kmerics who always are there making sure that our heroes and our veterans are never
035forgotten in this community. So having our children doing what they're doing tonight is a pretty special thing. It's something they're going to remember for the rest of their lives. and our veterans and their families know that the city of Everett will never forget their sacrifice. Thank you very much everyone. Have a great night and it's always a pleasure being here on this night to salute our veterans and people who served our country. Thank you very much. November 11th, 1918 will always be remembered by yours truly. At 10:45, the order came to the case firing. That was absolutely the happiest moment of my life. The rest of the day, little groups of smiling Germans came up to the line with tobacco and wine. Palmer returned to home after the war and played for the Western River
036University football [Applause] team. Al Punta Date December 1952 rank private first class. Home, Hackinack, New Jersey. Letter. I'm coming home now. It's official as of this morning. That little house is going to look like a palace to me. Is it true some people eat three times a day or more than they sit on a chair by a table? What's the matter? Can't they dig a hole in the backyard like everybody else? There were times I would have traded my soul for a drink of cold water or a cup of hot coffee. But I'm coming home now. Chuck isn't. He listed MIA. If he's on this side of the line, I hope he makes it. He'd wish the same for me. I'm going to tell you now, you'll need a lot of patience with me. Patience
037and understanding. We all will. When he returned from Korea, Baseeka was stationed in Lewon, New York. At a local YMCA dance one night, he met a woman from Niagara Falls. They got married a month before Paseka was discharged. He went to work in his father's construction business and started a family. He has two children and three grandchildren. [Applause] Night and the land [Applause] No, I won't be afraid. No, I won't be afraid. Just as you stand by me and darling, darling, stand by me. Oh, stand by me. Oh, stand. Stand by me. Stand by me. If the sky that we look should tumble and fall, the mountain should crumble to the sea. [Music] I won't cry. I won't cry. No, I won't shed a tear just as long as you stand stand by me. And
038darling, darling, stand by me. Oh, stand by. Oh, stand. Stand by. Stand by. [Music] Darling, darling, stand by me. Oh, stand by me. Oh, [Music] stand by me. Stand by me. Whenever you're in trouble, won't you stand by me? Oh, stand by me. Oh, stand. Stand by me. Stand by me. [Applause] Dean Allen, day July 10, 1969. Rank first lieutenant home Pomino Beach, Florida. Being a good platoon leader is a lonely job. I don't want to really get to know anybody over here because it'll be bad enough to lose a man. I sure don't want to lose a friend, but as hard as I try not to get involved with my man, I still can't help liking them and getting close. Resolution. Four days after riding his bike, Alan stepped on a landmine and he
039died three days later. Steven Daniel August 9th, 1968. Rink Lor home, Waco, Texas. Letter Last night, one more Marine Corp died. No one will ever hear or care about it except his parents and us. His name was Corporal Lee Clark. He didn't deserve dying. He had about 38 days left in the Marine Corpse and in Vietnam. 38 days to start living again, to see the world and home. It makes you wonder. Resolution. Eight months later, Daniel was killed by a sniper. He was 19 years old. Sydney Diamond. Date January 19th 1945. First lieutenant home, Bronx, New York. Letter busy, busy, been moving constantly. Excuse remedy. I love you. I hope to see you soon. Resolution: Diamond had proposed to his girlfriend Estella Sapero while on a temporary pass home in 1943, a year after he
040volunteered for the army. They never get a chance to get married. Diamond was fatally shot in the Philippines in January 1945. Just after a week writing this note, he was 22 years [Applause] old. Attention to the balcony. We have the plane of taps by Tessa Ford. And it's tradition and Mr. O'Brien as well. It is tradition for us to stand and observe the taps being played and afterwards we will have a moment of silence and then we may be seated again. So please rise. Let's start. [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] Please remain standing for a moment of silence. You may be seated. [Music] Here we go. Heat. Heat. [Music] Heat. Heat. [Music] [Applause] [Music] La. Heat. [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] Heat. Heat. Heat. [Applause] [Music] [Applause] My name is Amelia and this is how
041Memorial Day is important to me. Memorial Day is a national holiday that honors soldiers and that have sacrificed them their lives for America. Memorial Day is who is important because we honor soldiers who died while serving in the Army, Navy, Coast Guard, um Marine Corpse or Air Force. There are many ways to celebrate Memorial Day. I can't. You can celebrate by setting off fireworks, wearing America clothes, and attending family gatherings. Many people still put flags or flowers on the fallen soldiers graves. There are many ways to celebrate Memorial Day. Hi, I'm Dominic and this is what Memorial Day means to me. Memorial Day is a day that we honor people who fought and gave their lives to our country. I will honor them by remembering them in my heart. I will also care for what
042they did for us. Hi, my name is Ella and Memorial Day to me it's I think it's a time to reflect on everything others have done for us, especially the ones who have fallen. And it's also important to remember those who never returned that are still missing. Hi, my name is Christie and I'm in fifth grade and this is my memorial paper. Memorial Day is one of the most important days in the world. It's about the people who fought for our country and sacrificed to fight for the country. On May 27th, we remember very strong and kind fighters. They were brave. In honor of this day, we respect people in the military. They were our heroes. You may think of fiction heroes, but we have real heroes in real life, which is our veterans. We
043think of those who are no longer with us and their families loss of their kind, brave, smart, strong heroes. We raise this We raise the American flag on this day to honor them. We should thank them for all their hard work. Veterans who saved them, saved our lives, our people, we should think about because we didn't have them when them when we would never be here without them. It would probably be something else without our beloved veterans. Hi, my name is Ael and this is what Memorial Day means to me. Memorial Day is a day that we remember all the soldiers who sacrificed their lives while fighting for our country. I am most proud of my mom because she also served as a soldier. Memorial Day will always be a special day to honor the
044brave soldiers who sacrificed their lives for our freedom. Heat. [Music] Heat. [Music] Yeah. [Music] Heat. [Music] Heat. [Music] Heat. [Applause] [Music] Heat. [Music] Heat. Heat. [Music] Heat. [Music] Heat. Heat. [Music] Heat. Heat. [Music] Heat. Heat. Heat. [Music] Heat. Heat. [Music] Heat. Heat. [Music] Heat. [Music] Heat. Heat. [Music] [Applause] test. Ladies and gentlemen, let's say we're again for the Ever High School Jazz Ensemble underuction of Mr. Castellano. [Applause] And just briefly, I'd like to have all the seniors stand. This is their last performance with the jazz ensemble. All seniors, please stand. Thank you so much. And the juniors. Now, the juniors. And the juniors. Junior, stand up. Juniors stand. They're in sixth and seventh grade. Seventh grade. The whole band stand. Let's hear the jazz ensemble. Thank you. On ladies and gentlemen, um on behalf of
045Mayor Carlo Di Maria, he was here earlier and he had to go to another engagement, but he want to send his greetings on how important Memorial Day is and he shouts out uh a salute to all our veterans and especially our students that are saluting the veterans. It means so much. On behalf of Mayor Carlo De Maria, thank you so much. and he said to invite everybody on Monday to the cemetery uh for the Memorial Day exercise at 10:00 a.m. on Monday. Thank you so much. [Applause] Okay. How do you observe Memorial Day? Uh for me, uh Memorial Day is always special because, you know, you try to think about all the guys you serve with, not just the ones that aren't here, but the ones that are still here. So, you just want to
046kind of make sure you just observe and know that you're, you know, giving back to the people that have, you know, sacrificed for you. So, you just want to take that moment to think about that and think about their sacrifice and think about all the freedoms you have. I really just try to really enjoy the freedoms that I've been given from the people that came before me. Do I need to pass? Nope. Hi, my name is Maria. I usually go to the parade in Somerville. It's actually a very, very small parade, maybe lasting about 10, 15 minutes. That's it. And then after that, I usually go into the Boston Garden, Boston Common, sorry, and look at the field of of flags. Um, my name is Bobby. I usually go down Cape Cod. My mother and
047father both down there in the uh military cemetery. They have a big spread. They have flags everywhere and uh I go to the parade here first then I should go down there and like he said I I remember all the vets that have fallen and give us uh freedom, you know, and uh it's a good day. It's usually a good day. Hi, my name is Crystal. Um usually on Memorial Day I'll gather with like friends and family. Um they'll usually do cookouts and things like that, but I also like to volunteer in the morning. If there's an event, either a community event or somewhere that they're hosting something, I like to volunteer for a little bit. Hi, my name is David Souza. Uh 14 years old, were a seventh grade at the Whittier. Hope that's
048good enough. So, my section is at home before war. What was the unit you were assigned to and what was the mission of your unit? So, I have not ever been to war, but um my unit uh is the triple 8. They're out of Cranston, Rhode Island. Um again, we do transportation logistics. So, basically what that is is when you're moving cargo like things or people to different places, we do the paperwork, like the admin stuff behind that. Um and I just came back from a deployment. So essentially what we were doing overseas, I can't really get into like the specific details, but we were doing our job over there where we were assisting other units um and other people over there to move things um in other countries. Interesting. I was on in the
049Navy. I was on a ship. It was a uh oiler. In other words, it's like a gas station on the water. You fuel up the other ships. So when you go out in the Navy, you're going with with five, six other ships. It's called a uh what's it called? Um a group of uh whatever it's um five or six ships at I can't think right now. Five or six ships at once, battleships, aircraft carriers. I was on an oiler. So what I did was I put gas into all the other ships and I gave them supplies, food, and all that stuff. That's what I did. Battle, it's called a battle group. I was in battle group E or something like that. You know, that's what I did. I joined the army right at the end
050of the Vietnam war. So fortunately I did not have to see any combat whatsoever. But I worked at the second general hospital in lawn Germany which at the time was the largest military hospital in Germany and I worked in one of the clinics there. Um I was in the Marine Corps. I was a 2111 uh which means that I fixed weapons and I handled all the training and logistics for those weapons. Um, our major I was with the unit uh first battalion 25th Marines out of actually Fort Deans. Um, and that was actually a pretty good our our mission was basically to be a force and readiness in the reserve side. So anytime like something happened, we actually did get sent over to Afghanistan um to back up the units that were over there. So
051uh just basically we're backup for the active units. What's your name? Caroline. Caroline. Caroline. Um, I'm in fourth grade. And what happened when you first left home and how did you feel? So, when I first left home for training, uh, the initial training, I was a little nervous. It was my first time being away from my family for that amount of time and I didn't know what to expect. I kind of only knew I had a couple of people who I knew were in the army, but I had only known what I'd seen in like movies and stuff. So, I was like, "Oo, this is going to be nerve-wracking." Um, that so like that initial time was nerve-wracking. Um, when I just went on deployment, I would say I was a little bit more prepared
052cuz I had been in a couple years. Um, I again was going to be away from home for the longest I've ever been like away from my family, but I was a bit more motivated um and a little bit more like excited to go. And like I said, I had a good time. So, the second time around leaving wasn't that bad. Yeah, I was I was I wanted to go. I left. I I wanted to go. See you later. See you later. The only thing my mother cried for days, that's all. But I uh once I was gone, I was gone. I think I came back once, you know. You either you either have to be on or off. That was my life. So, I had to get used to it, you know. But I
053like, you know, that's how it was. I found it a little bit difficult when I first went into the army and for boot camp and stuff being away from home for the first time. There was many nights where I cried and stuff. I was really I was homesick, you know, but after a couple of weeks and you really got to be together with the other people with all the other girls. We were girls and boys were all separated at that time, you know. Everybody was in the same situation. We all felt the same way and we all pulled together and we all got through it. Um, uh, so I it was actually I had went overseas to play basketball first, so it was it was like it was my second time going away, but my
054mother wasn't really happy about the fact that I was going away to join the Marine Corps. So there was a lot of tears there, but I was it was like my second time actually going away. And I guess just not knowing what to expect was scary for me. But once I got there, it's like, hey, you can't go home anyway. So you just kind of lean into the training and lean into what you're doing, and you just kind of lean next to the guys next to you. I'd like to welcome to the stage the Everett All City Chorus featuring students from all six elementary schools. Give them a big round of applause. I left and [Applause] [Music] forever I love the way I [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] still forever be my No [Music] [Applause] [Music]
055[Applause] real heat. [Music] Christy teacher. [Music] A F R I C I love America every day. If you love America like I do, you can sing a song and I'll sing with you. [Music] Oh, I love America. Heat. Heat. Heat. [Music] [Applause] [Music] A F R I C A. I love America every day. If you love America like I do, you can sing a song and I'll sing with you. Oh, I love America. [Music] [Applause] Oh, heat, heat. Heat. Heat. [Music] I do. [Music] I would just like to take a moment while they're getting set up to thank all of the music teachers from the different schools for practicing their parts at their schools. and we got together last week for two big rehearsals and we worked very very hard. You can tell they're so
056professional looking. They're so well behaved on stage. I am just so proud of you guys. Tears in my eyes. Good [Applause] job. All right. Now I'd like our speakers that we have for remember to remember to please come down to the music stand and Briana you can come and grab the mic for me. Okay. No, I'm four. I'm four. I'm four. So, you have to give it to you. [Music] Do We think about our freedom, what it means to us each day. We have never live without it. We know the other way. We must never take for granted all the sacrificees made and remember [Music] to memorial [Music] Thank you to all the men and women who gave their lives and service to our country. We have the right to life, liberty, and the pursuit
057of happiness. The freedom to come and go as we please. To speak out without fear of retribution and other freedoms we just don't think about. So let every Memorial Day be a reminder to count our blessings and honor those who made America free. We must never take for granted all the sacrifice made and remember [Music] to memorial [Music] Hey, this morning [Music] [Applause] All right. Thank you. Beautiful job, boys and girls, with your so reading solos, your singing solos. We're so proud of you. And acting solos. Um, our honore this evening uh is Trevon Ford. You saw on the program. Unfortunately, he came down with strep throat and is very ill and is unable to join us tonight. But standing in for Travon, we have a very special lady, Jerry Miranda, who is the Secretary
058of Veterans Agents. Veteran Agent, I'm sorry. So, I'd like to welcome to the stage Jerry Miranda. So, every school had a job to do and we would like to thank the English school. They were one of the schools that had the job of putting the basket together for Mr. Ford. So, we'll make sure he gets this safely. And Jerry like to honor you too as well. Thank you for all of your service to our country. And it really is because of men and women like Jerry and like Trarevon that we can take for granted the freedoms that we have every day. So thank you very much. And singing and showing our respect through music is the least we can do. Right boys and girls. All right. So let's think about Sergeant Trabon Ford, United States
059Army. The student and faculty of the Ever Public School, Everett, Massachusetts, would like to thank you for your service to our country. presented on May 20th, 2025. [Applause] [Music] If you love your country, make a bed. If you cherish freedom, make [Applause] a for the price they pay, for the sacrifice they made. If you love your country, make a bed. [Music] They may the best of their tot. Send the red light and blue on the sea. [Music] If you love your heart, if you [Music] fre my country, if you cherish freedom, I cherish freedom. [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] Amen. Thank you. [Music] Heat. Heat. [Music] not like the brazing giant of Greek fame with conquering limbs a stride from land to land. Here at our sea wash sunset gate shall stand. A mighty woman
060with a torch whose flame is the imprisoned lightning and her name mother of exiles. From her beacon hand glows worldwide welcome. Her mile eyes command the airbridge harbor that twin cities frame. Keep ancient lands. Your story pump cry she with silent lips. Give me your tired your poor your huddled masses yearning to breathe free. The wretched refuse of your teeming shore. Send these the homeless tempest toss to me. I lift my land beside the golden door. [Music] While the storm clouds gather far across the sea, let us swear alle. [Music] Let us all be grateful for a lands of faith as we raise our voices in a soul of praise. God bless [Music] [Applause] America. Heat. Heat. [Music] America. [Music] [Applause] [Music] Heat. [Applause] Heat. [Music] Heat. Heat. Hey, [Music] Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. [Music]
061Heat. Heat. [Music] [Applause] Oh, take All right, while our teachers are passing out the flags, I'll try to catch my breath. Um, I'd like to thank Mr. O'Brien. Where is Mr. O'Brien? Our coordinator of music. Thank you so much for all your help in organizing tonight. And a very special thank you to our entire music staff, but especially to the general music teachers you see handing out the flags. Uh we have Mr. Zagurella from the Parllin, Mr. Carmen Fzone from the Cavarian, Miss Angela Amo down at the English, Mariana Belaloo from the Whittier, and Miss Rose Wickcom over at the Webster School. Thank you so much. You guys are awesome. And I think our flags are almost ready being passed out. Again, thank you so much to the students for all of your hard work
062in preparation for tonight's concert. At the end of the concert, we'll go back and sit in our spots. And parents, you're welcome to collect your students at that time. Thank you so much for coming to this evening's concert. We hope you enjoyed the show and don't forget what Memorial Day is all about. Thank you. [Music] Everybody have one. [Music] Oh, music teachers, would you please join us on stage? I'll conduct, but if you can sing with the chorus, that would be awesome. Our teachers, if you could join the chorus, that would be amazing. Also, the hardest working crew for months and months and months before is our amazing TV and video department and theater department. Thank you so much. Without you, none of this would be possible. So, thank you so much. Thank you. You
063guys are the [Applause] best. Heat. [Music] Heat. [Music] Yeah. [Applause] [Music] Heat. [Applause] [Music] Heat. [Music] Heat. Heat. [Applause] [Music] Can Can we have some of the video department come down here too? If we could have some of our video crew come down here so we can take one big group picture with our chorus students, that would be awesome. Ladies and gentlemen, I just want to stop everybody for a second. The people that really put this together is Mrs. Catch Merrick and Mrs. Catch Merrick. Let's hear from Mr. and Mrs. Catch [Applause] Merrick. Oh, I think you I think you can do better than that. Let's hear from Mr. Mrs. K. [Applause] I just want to point out I'm very fortunate to have such a wonderful staff and a team of music teachers that teach
064these fine kids. I'm very fortunate. Mrs. Cash Merrick just finished her 31st year of work in the Ever Public Schools. Let's hear for Mrs. Kay. Again, it takes a whole team to make things work. Thank you so much. Happy Memorial Day. And also, I want to recognize our Army folks right over here. Active duty right over [Applause] there. Thank you so much for your service. Thank you. Happy Memorial Day. Let's bring Let's bring our army folks up here. Come on up. It's about you [Applause] guys. Antoine, come on [Applause] up. Mr. Byron, come on up. Mrs. O'Brien is a former Marine. As always, a Marine. Come on up, Mrs. O'Brien. [Applause] again. Thank you all so much. Happy Memorial Day. Thank you. [Applause] [Music] Is there any more veterans in the house? Any more veterans
065in the house? Come on up to the stage. If you are a veteran or active duty or retired, come on out to the stage. Want to take a big group picture? Anybody come on up? You're all welcome. [Applause] [Music] So, so we're standing here and I think we need to do nonpor. We'll do one more time. Styles and stripes forever. Please rise. USA. USA. Come on up. Come on up. [Music] [Applause] [Music] USA. Oh, here. Here we [Applause] [Music] go. Heat. Heat. [Music] [Applause] [Music] Let's go louder. Here we [Music] [Applause] go. [Music] Heat. [Applause] Heat. [Applause] [Music] [Applause] Heat. [Applause] Heat. Heat. Heat. [Applause]