WOODBURY — Veterans Day is one of the most important holidays in the United States. The holiday honors United States military veterans and victims of wars. Veterans Day is held on Nov. 11, which is the anniversary of the end of World War I.

On Nov. 9, Nonnewaug students gathered around the flagpole for a special Veterans Day ceremony. 

Multiple veterans attended the ceremony, and a familiar face was among them — Scott Parkhouse, a social studies teacher here at Nonnewaug. 

Parkhouse and his students had a big impact coordinating the ceremony.

“It was a team effort,” Parkhouse said. “Mrs. [Marisa] Christoff and Rho Kappa played a major role in coordinating the assembly along with others. My history classes did the decorating of bulletin boards, hanging up the banner and placing flags on the campus.” 

Marisa Christoff, a social studies teacher at Nonnewaug and the advisor of Rho Kappa Honor Society, helped coordinate the event. 

“Mrs. [Genna] Riggi helped create invitations that we mailed out to the Woodbury and Bethlehem American Legions,” Christoff said. “We also mailed out invitations to the Southbury VFW, which stands for Veterans of Foreign Wars. Mrs. [Pam] Sordi also linked the invitation in the Friday update, inviting any family members who were veterans to the ceremony. We had six students from Nonnewaug whose family members attended.”

Parkhouse had a favorite part from the ceremony. 

“My favorite part was when the veterans walked out to the front circle in front of the whole school,” he added. 

Christoff’s favorite part of the ceremony was when Elizabeth Scalzo read the poem, “It is The Veteran.” This was her favorite part because the poem resonated the idea that all the freedom we have is because of a veteran.

“Veterans Day is extremely important because we always have to keep it in our conscious thoughts that freedom isn’t free,” Christoff concluded.

Gallery • 7 Photos

Marisa Christoff