The drama department is busy at work this week. They managed to fit in time among preparing for their state One Act competition, and holding auditions for the school’s improv troupe, Improvedy,  to prepare five performance pieces for Friday’s Veterans Day assembly. Along with Mr. Parker, the theatre director here at North, five students were involved in this preparation. Emma Knutson, Sam Stratton, Oscar Brautigam, Tim Rausch, and Corinna Czarnik will all be reading diary entries providing insight into the minds of those affected by war. The diary entries span history, ranging from the Civil War, all the way up to the war in Afghanistan.

Sam Stratton, a junior here at North, explained his excitement for the performance. “I really like my piece; it has a very hopeful and inspiring feel to it. It’s about people from two people from different sides of the Civil War coming together.”

Stratton elaborated on the process, saying that initially, Mr. Parker had picked 60 different entries, and had submitted them to Mr. Huggins for review. Mr. Huggins then chose 5 from the collection. Reflecting on why he chose the pieces he did, Mr. Huggins explained, “The goal for this year’s readings was to try and capture some of the personal reflections which had [been] written by others over time who had been impacted by or directly involved in war. They provide unique and very personal perspectives which might not otherwise have been shared.”

This long-standing contribution from the arts department on this special day has been important in years past. “ Last year, this part of the program included personal letters from home to service members.” This year will be just as vital to the remembrance of our veterans. The selections, along with Stratton’s piece on the Civil War and one on Afghanistan, Sam hinted, would touch on the Korean War, World War II, and Vietnam. Along with these performances, each piece will be accompanied by a slideshow with images related to the contents of each diary entry, and historical photographs of each war discussed. All of these details were carefully prepared through a collaborative process between students and staff, in hopes that the sacrifice made by America’s veterans will not go unnoticed.