Lake Regional High School – Naples, Maine
January 2, 2015 – March 6, 2015
Togus Veteran’s Hospital transfers custody of the TSP honor display case to Lake Region High School in Naples, Maine. LRHS, proud of former students, PFC Jordan Brochu and SGT Ed McDonald, and LCpl. Andrew Quasnitschka, is honored to be our second group to guard the stories and stones of our fallen heroes ensuring their memories remain alive.
LRHS teacher, Linda Davis, with input from fellow teacher, Carmel Collins and school librarian, Deb Gahm, wrote this summary of the period of custody.
For twelve weeks the Summit Project’s memorial stones were housed in the Library Media Center of Lake Region High School where students, staff, parents and community members could view the engraved stones, as well as read about the lives of the soldiers who gave the ultimate sacrifice for their nation. It was very emotional for many and brought forth conversations about where the servicemen and women were deployed and how they died. The close proximity of these living memorial stones evoked strong feelings of respect, honor, and patriotism and the connections we felt with the fallen soldiers were so real, especially when students and community members realized that three of the stones represented former LRHS graduates, Sgt. Edmund W. McDonald, Pfc. Jordan M. Brochu and Spc. Cassandra Cassavant. It was a time of reflection and many conversations began about their bravery and dedication to defend our country.
The display case exhibition brought the community together as we remembered our fallen soldiers and how brave they were as they faced conflict and death. For many of our hiking students who carried these stones up Pleasant Mountain it was a time of intense reflection–a memory both enduring and emotional. For these students in particular, the stones represented soldiers with whom they connected and with whom they honored more than they could fathom. To anyone who viewed the memorial stones, the display was one that evoked feelings of gratitude mixed with sadness for the soldiers who lost their lives as well as for their grieving families.
We are all so fortunate to have had the opportunity to connect with these fallen soldiers from Maine. As a result of being the custodian of the TSP display, it came to light that we had another LRHS graduate who had served and had given his life:
LCpl. Andrew Quasnitschka. Andrew’s stone will be later added to the display. We remembered how fortunate we are to live in a country where brave soldiers have died for our freedom. Thank you for allowing us to feel the gratitude with the presence of their living memorial stones.
