EDUCATION

The Armed Forces Got Better Today

End-of-school means many things to many people, and for a courageous few, it means a commitment to serve our country. Last month, Liberty Hill High School honored members of the Class of 2021 who have chosen to serve our country at the 4th annual Military Signing Day.

Family members, teachers, board trustees, and recruiters watched proudly as five young men committed to military life after graduation. The students were excited, the families were beaming and the educators were proud of what the day meant.

Principal John Bever said, “I am grateful to be able to work with these students; this is an exciting moment for the beginning of their new lives.” Echoing his sentiments, College, Career and Military Readiness advisor Deah Twine added, “It is not a decision taken lightly when a student decides to serve our great nation. We know many of you here today helped to guide these students to make such an honorable choice.”

THE CEREMONY

Associate Principal Monica Miller began making Military Signing Day a school event in 2018 and says it is always emotional. “We honor the young men and women who have chosen to serve our great country. I never want to take for granted these brave young people who step up and choose to protect our freedoms. As the proud wife of Army COL Zebediah Miller, I have a special heart for these students and never want them to feel that their decision to serve the United States of America in one of our branches of the military is not appreciated.”

READY TO SERVE

First to receive his certificate was Jakobe Martinez, who has chosen to train for the most selective and elite force in the U.S. Air Force; Special Operations. Recruiter TSgt. Andrew Burdette explains, “It is incredibly difficult and selective to get into Special Operations. We have an 80 to 90 percent failure rate; mostly because of quitting. The training is very difficult, but we do it for a reason. These Airmen find themselves in very challenging scenarios.”

Taylor Gutierrez and Chris Alegria chose to be first in with the United States Marine Corps. Taylor wishes to be a USMC Military Police Officer. Chris will be an O311 Rifleman as part of the world’s elite infantry, and his long-term goal is to return home and lead the ROTC program at Liberty Hill High School.

Principal John Bever

THE ARMY, AIR FORCE, MARINES AND MERCHANT MARINES GOT BETTER TODAY. I’LL SLEEP A LITTLE BETTER AT NIGHT KNOWING THESE GUYS ARE PROTECTING OUR COUNTRY. ~ SUPERINTENDENT STEVE SNELL

Their recruiter Sgt. Brian Cain said, “It has been my absolute privilege to mentor and guide these two young men during their journeys to become a part of something bigger than themselves; The United States Marine Corps.”

Ty Hunter enlisted into the United States Army. He will be, as recruiter SGT Emmanual Garcia says, “Part of a large and very special organization comprised of people with many skillsets. Ty encountered some obstacles when we first met him, but he is resilient; he dug in, and never lost his momentum.”

BE BOLD. DO THINGS THAT MAKE YOU UNCOMFORTABLE. ~ COLONEL ZEBADIAH MILLER

Konnor Bye was accepted into The Merchant Marine Academy in Kings Point, New York and will be studying Marine engineering. In April, he and eight other seniors were honored by Congressman John Carter (TX31) at the 4th annual “Salute to Service Academy Appointees”. Appointees complete an intense application process, including rounds of interviews, to receive a nomination from Representative Carter to one of the nation’s Service Academies.

“Nominating students to a U.S. Service Academy is one of my greatest honors as a Congressman,” said Representative Carter. “After seeing their hard work and dedication firsthand, I know the future of our nation is in good hands. The path these students have chosen will not be easy, but I have no doubt they are up for the challenge. I am exceptionally proud of the appointees from Texas’ 31st district and cannot wait to see all that they accomplish.” Military Academies accept only the very highest achievers each year, which include a very small percentage accepted into the Merchant Marines. In addition to his academic record and reputation for service, Konnor is also the area’s triple jump champion and he has already been asked to jump for the Academy. Coach Kent Walker expresses with deep sincerity, “It’s been a rough, rough year. I could not be more proud of this young man and everything he’s accomplished.”

From the editor: To the Liberty Hill 2021 graduates who have chosen to step out of their comfort zones and away from their families to fight for our freedoms by protecting and serving our great country, thank you. Your courage is beyond inspiring.

Graduation!

 What began out of necessity in 2020 has become a part of the graduation tradition. Panther spirit was in full glory as the Class of 2021 held their celebration parade May 23.

Hundreds lined the street to cheer and recognize seniors and their future plans.  The theme of being adaptable and flexible this school year continued with Friday night’s graduation ceremony. Liberty Hill, and many other local schools moved their ceremonies inside. With the abrupt change in venue, guests were limited to four per student.

Liberty Hill Digest staff are grateful to parents who provided personal photos of the mortarboard toss to share with our readers.

Mom Imelda Anderson said, “As storms rolled in, I wondered if graduation would take place. Thanks for keeping the program engaging and brief. It was fun to hear our kids being cheered on and to hear the hootin’ and hollerin’ from upstairs! I’m so thankful our kids go to celebrate this year.”