(The following is an editorial submission from North Penn
School Board Director Jonathan Kassa.)
As a school district, we will be honoring those that served our nation by conferring high school diplomas from The North Penn School District (NPSD) Board of School Directors to honorably discharged United States veterans who left high school before graduating to serve in the United States Armed Services.
The recognition is a current initiative led by board director Al Roesch, an Air Force veteran. It is open to qualified veterans currently living in the North Penn School District or who lived in NPSD before leaving high school for the armed services.
This is where we need the community’s help to promote this special event before the November 1st deadline for vets or their families to submit their information for the recognition. If you are a relative or know of a vet who qualifies, please let them know of this opportunity. We want to honor as many veterans as possible; this is when word of mouth and sharing this article can help a vet complete their educational journey within their North Penn community.
Already, one veteran will be receiving a posthumous degree after their family reached out with a request for the diploma. I also have a specific community call-to-action to help find any family members of one of our fallen listed on the Penndale Memorial, Andrew Mark Phillips, who was killed in action in Vietnam. His classmates have been trying, without success, to locate a living relative. If anyone in the community has a potential connection, please reach out and let us know. Equally important, this call is for anyone in the community that may qualify for this opportunity for a diploma — please contact the district.
The entire community is welcome to join together for this event to celebrate the service and commitment of our veterans, with the JROTC color guard and NPHS choir being a part of the event. A graduation party for honorees and their guests will be held following the ceremony. The ceremony will be held on Veterans Day, Thursday, November 11, at 6:00 pm in the North Penn High School Audion, 1340 Valley Forge Road, Lansdale.
Veterans, or family members of veterans, interested in participating should contact the NPSD Office of School and Community Engagement at (215) 853-1020 by Monday, Nov. 1, to arrange for participation in the ceremony. For verification purposes, copies of discharge papers will be requested for all of those participating.
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