Just one day before start of Memorial Day weekend, with a color guard presentation, singing of the National Anthem, and a speech by the mayor, the efforts of a Los Alamitos High School Junior to honor those alumni who have served in our nation’s military, was officially presented to the community. The project by Megan Boyd, dubbed the Los Alamitos High School Wall of Valor, was unveiled at a ceremony yesterday at the high school administration building.
Megan told www.OC180NEWS.com she was looking for a community service project for a Girl Scout award. “I was watching the news and I kept seeing newscasts about the war in Iraq and Afghanistan, and all these people who were dying and all this stuff about the war and people in the military. We always just listen to it on the news, but no one takes the time to thank and honor those people who have actually served in the military. That’s when I came up with the idea of the Wall of Valor. It’s something students my age will see and it will help them to understand what is going on.”
The Wall of Valor is a permanent display case honoring LAHS alumni who are serving or have served in the US Military. The display includes photos, names, branch of service, and the Los Al graduation year.
Some of the dates go back as far as 1980. There are more than twenty names currently on the wall. But Megan said “The project’s not completed. It’s going to be an ongoing thing. We’re going to continue to add more names. We’re also going to paint a mural on the wall at the High School.” Megan will continue to work on the Wall until she graduates next year and then she will ask another student to keep it growing with more names.
The unveiling yesterday completes Megan’s requirements for her Girl Scout Gold Award. . The gold award is the Girl Scout equivalent to the Boy Scout Eagle award. Megan has been a Girl Scout for 12 years. “There’s been seven of us who all have been like best friends and we’ve all stayed in it together.”
Megan told us all seven of the girls are getting their Gold Awards, and they are all juniors at Los Al. Next year when they are all finished, they plan to take a trip together during winter or spring break.
