Thizbe Balzer
On
November 11, 2015, the Remembrance Day assembly allowed all members of the
Dalat community to take a few steps back from their busy schedules, gain
perspective, and stand together with hearts of gratitude.
Dalat goers fled into the gymnasium on that sunny
Wednesday afternoon. Queued by the audible but barely noticeable tardy bell,
the uproar of eager chatter and subsequent echoes, which saturated the hall
with excitement, came to a slow yet serious halt as Mr. Hoffmeyer began to
speak. A badged vest clung to his
shoulder, and his uniform mimicked the others on the elevated platform to which
everyone’s attention had turned. Those
of importance sat tall, reveling in thoughtful and reflective expression; those
who stood spoke with a certain kind of dignified vulnerability. This was serious. This was real. People were out there fighting a war for us. Their faces told the story.
While the “old folk” told the story, individuals
of the younger generation, namely the boy and girl scouts groups, were the ones
who made the formal event a success. At
the opening of the ceremony, four young men, among them 12th grader
Joel Halbedl and 11th grader Noah Graves, made their way over to the
flower-encased centerpiece with unparalled formality. The beat of a snare drum, sounded by one of
the Chinn twins, guided their footsteps.
Each young man took one corner of the decorated coffin and stood for the
remainder of the ceremony looking outward with a dispassionate stare. Meaningful poems, one being “In Flanders
Fields,” were read aloud; and Mr. Roylance shared his back-story as an officer
with inspiring and heart-wrenching emotion.
Flags from various countries were held up in recognition of all the
soldiers who fought in WW1 and those who stand on the frontlines today.
However, among the rituals and ceremony of the
event were moments for everyone to personally reflect, times surrounded with
musical voice, and times drowning in silence.
Christina Kim (12) sounded the trumpet beautifully to the traditional
Remembrance Day call. After that was a
minute of silence. Lee (grade 12) remarked about the X-block event later that
week, “It really made me thankful for the freedom I have today.”
It’s true.
We are where we are today because of the sacrifices others are making to
establish daily freedom. Dalat School
has these freedoms, and the Remembrance Day assembly is a necessary reminder to
gratefully accept that someone out there is paying for it.
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