Marty Morgan at Ensworth

Veterans Listened To and Remembered on Both Campuses

Although the restrictions due to COVID-19 have prevented Ensworth from conducting student assemblies and hosting guests, veterans will not go unrecognized this Veterans Day.
On the Red Gables Campus, history teacher Ruby Cortner has assembled and recorded a Loom presentation on the branches of the military and the history of Veterans Day. Middle School advisories will view and discuss this unique screencast during Supplemental Instruction on Wednesday.

David Chanaca, long-time history teacher on the Frist Campus, has creatively adapted his World War II class and annual veterans’ celebration to restrictions imposed by the pandemic.

In years past, Mr. Chanaca has organized an assembly to honor veterans, hear their stories in a round-table discussion, and treat them to a special lunch. These veterans—parents, grandparents, and friends of the campus—visit every year around Veterans Day.

“This year Ensworth has had to alter our usual Veterans Day Celebration due to COVID-19,” Chanaca explains. “Yet, that does not mean that we will not be celebrating our veterans. We have contacted many of our veterans and have asked them to join our WWII class on Tuesday, November 10 virtually. We hope to have around 10 veterans joining us for a class discussion on the importance of Veterans Day.”

Students have sent past veteran guests a video and a visual Veterans Day card to thank them for their sacrifice and for sharing their memories and life lessons learned in their service.

“We also will be sending out the video from the 2017 Veterans Day Celebration to both students and parents in our community,” says Mr. Chanaca. “Martin Morgan, a noted historian for Smithsonian and Discovery Channels and the tour guide and historian who led our first Ensworth Alumni trip to Normandy in 2016, was the speaker. He gave a moving speech about the importance of this special day from a very personal level.” View the video of Marty Morgan’s speech below.

Earlier in the semester, the World War II class received a virtual visit from a guest whose grandfather endured Nazi persecution as a Quaker as a child and later escaped with his sister to America. The talk educated students on the plight that many groups endured under Nazi rule and on how a growing evil can be tolerated by a whole society.

2017 Ensworth Veterans Day Celebration featuring Marty Morgan

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