Mt. Vernon High School holds Veterans Assembly

JAG students place 1,500 flags around school to honor local veterans
Mt. Vernon High School held a Veterans Day assembly on Monday, Nov. 11. Over 1,200 students, local families and residents came out to honor local veterans during the gathering.
Distinguished veteran Darren Yarbrough was the guest speaker for the ceremony. Yarborough was a Platoon Leader, Battalion Staff Officer, and Company Executive Officer in the Army. He graduated from Army ROTC at Western Kentucky University and Army Airborne School. He served in Germany during the last days of the cold war and reunification of Germany. During his presentation he spoke of some of the lessons he learned from his time of service and also about how heroes often look just like you and I and care about the same things you and I care about: family, friends, community, etc.
The Mt. Vernon Intermediate School SWAG team also led the assembly’s Pledge of Allegiance followed by the high school choir singing the Star-Spangled Banner and the middle and high school choirs combining to sing America.
Senior, Kaylee Scrivner and junior, Alyson Barnes led the veterans recognition and the high school band played Armed Forces- The Pride of America.
After a moment of silence, Madalynn Copley played Taps before everyone was dismissed.

JAG students honor veterans with 1,500 flags in front of school
The Mt. Vernon JAG (Job’s for America’s Graduates) students, led by, JAG instructor, Chance Cornell, held a Field of Flags fundraiser, in collaboration with the  Mt. Vernon Student Council, to purchase flags which were placed along both driveways and the west side of the school and on the hill in front of the school to honor local veterans. Last year the program raised the funds to purchase 1,000 flags. This year they added 500 flags for a total of 1,500 flags that were placed.
JAG is a national organization that has been in existence since 1980. It is a program that helps young people overcome personal and academic challenges to reach their full potential, graduate from high school, and transition successfully into life after high school. For each of its 40 years, JAG students nationally have achieved a 95 percent graduation rate, a 90 percent full time job placement rate, and a 43 percent post secondary education rate.
The JAG program equips students with the skills and support needed to be successful in their studies, the workforce, and in life. Things that most people struggled with when they got out of school, JAG aims to teach these students those important life skills early on so they have one less thing to worry about after graduation. Cornell said, “In our classrooms we like to call this class ‘Adulting 101’.”
Cornell explained, “We wanted to honor all our veterans by not just acknowledging their service, but by creating a tangible, visual representation of our appreciation that they could experience firsthand. Placing 1,500 flags wasn’t just about the number, but about making a statement of solidarity and remembrance. We hoped that as veterans entered our campus for the event, they would see the flags and feel the collective respect and gratitude of the entire community. It was a way to show them that their sacrifices had not been forgotten and to ensure that every single veteran knew they were honored.”