The JROTC Cadet Battalion hosted a Veterans Day/ Flag Raising Ceremony on Friday morning, November 11, 2011, in the flag-lined Courtyard of Lyman High School. The Cadets are under the direction of Mario C. Maceira, LTC, US Army (Retired) Senior Army Instructor and Johnny Walker, SFC Army instructor. In a moving ceremony, cadets presented the colors, paid honor to POW/MIAs, and presented tokens of appreciation to Veterans in attendance who are members of the Lyman faculty and staff, or their families. National Anthem was sung by several choral members, and Taps was played by two members of the Lyman Band.
In addition, during the ceremony a tree was planted in the courtyard area in honor of Karl “Skip” Brooks, a Lyman faculty member who died earlier this school year. Mr. Brooks, the former robotics instructor in the Engineering Institute, was honored by Assistant Principal Keith McAuley. Mr. Brooks’ family was in attendance for the tree planting and ceremony. In addition to being a beloved faculty member, Mr. Brooks was a Veteran of both the Marines and the U.S. Coast Guard.
Cadets also placed ribbons on another tree in the courtyard, previously planted in honor of Floyd C. Holley, a graduate of the Lyman Class of 1993. Gunnery Sergeant Holley was killed in action in Afghanistan in 2010. He was in the U. S. Marine Corps.
School Board Member Sylvia Pond joined Principal Brian Urichko in watching the moving tributes paid to Veterans in attendance and those whose lives have been given in the service to our country. Lyman High School is located at 865 S. Ronald Reagan Boulevard in Longwood, Florida.
