Special Chapel Honors Veterans Day

In a moving chapel Monday morning, the School honored Veterans Day in a very special way.  

The day began with an introduction from Head of School Greg Schneider, who put the day in context. “Today we pay tribute to all veterans, those still living and those who paid the ultimate sacrifice in defense of the United States,” Mr. Schneider said. “While our traditional sense of war and peacetime has become blurrier in today’s complicated world, the sacrifice offered by our service men and women remains unchanged.”

He then introduced keynote speaker Mark Dube ’07. Mr. Dube is a 2012 graduate of West Point, where he was a member of their hockey program. A member of the U.S. Army, he served in Afghanistan in support of Operation Resolute Support and Freedom’s Sentinel. Today, he is a Pilot-in-Command and Air Mission Commander working for United States Army Special Operations Command as the G3 Air Officer. Mr. Dube spoke of his journey from Belmont Hill to West Point and beyond, while touching upon the themes of service and leadership. You can watch Mr. Dube’s speech in its entirety in the video above.

The morning closed with a poignant video highlighting the Kenney Legacy WWII Trip. Charlie Kenney graduated from Belmont Hill in 2006 and would go on to Brown University. Charlie felt a strong calling of service to his country and enrolled in the United States Marine Corps Officer Candidate School. As an officer, he earned the respect of his peers and demonstrated exceptional leadership qualities. Then, tragedy struck in 2012, as Charlie suffered a seizure and passed away suddenly, just before his scheduled deployment to Afghanistan.

Fortunately, Charlie's parents, Charles Kenney and Anne Detmer, are actively involved in the Belmont Hill community. In 2013, the Charles F. Kenney '06 Prize was established by classmates, family, faculty, and friends to honor his memory.  Just two years ago, the Kenney's proposed a trip to World War II sights in England, Belgium, and France, with particular emphasis on Normandy. The trip supports two faculty members and four students.  The hope is that the students will learn more about World War II, and gain a greater appreciation of the tremendous sacrifices made.  After the video, Mr. Schneider announced the boys who have been selected for the 2019 trip.

Watch the chapel here.