Dear KFCS Families & Community:
Friday, November 11, 2022 is Veterans Day in the United States. As the proud son of a United States Marine who served our great nation, I am reminded each year to honor the service of all veterans both alive and those who perished.
Today, I salute all Veterans. Thank you for your service.
I keep the picture below of my dad in my office to remind me daily we live in the home of the free because of the brave. Photo: Charles. C. Brown - USMC
Why we celebrate Veterans Day.
**Information to follow retrieved online at https://www.history.com/news/veterans-day-quotes-wars
Since its founding in 1776, the United States has fought in about a dozen major wars—and intervened militarily on hundreds of others—with every generation of Americans witnessing combat in one form or another. As such, tens of millions of Americans have suited up for the armed forces, including some 16 million during World War II alone. These service members include 31 of the 44 presidents.
Well over 1 million Americans have died in warfare, the vast majority in just two conflicts: the Civil War and World War II.
Given their importance to U.S. history, it’s no surprise that veterans have a played hallowed role in the public’s consciousness. Habitually honored at sporting events and on patriotic holidays, especially Veterans Day, the oratory surrounding veterans can be deeply inspiring.
Below are some poignant quotes by and about U.S. veterans.
“I only regret that I have but one life to give for my country.”
- Nathan Hale, 1776, in his alleged last words prior to being executed by the British for being a spy.
“The unparalleled perseverance of the armies of the United States, through almost every possible suffering and discouragement for the space of eight long years, was little short of a standing miracle.”
- General (and future President) George Washington, 1783, in his farewell orders to the Continental Army.
“The brave men, living and dead, who struggled here, have consecrated [this ground], far above our poor power to add or detract. The world will little note, nor long remember what we say here, but it can never forget what they did here.”
- President Abraham Lincoln, 1863, in the Gettysburg Address.
“Once let the black man get upon his person the brass letters, U.S.; let him get an eagle on his button, and a musket on his shoulder and bullets in his pocket, and there is no power on earth which can deny that he has earned the right to citizenship.”
- Civil rights leader and formerly enslaved worker Frederick Douglass, 1863, in remarks encouraging the enlistment of African American soldiers during the Civil War.
“To us in America, the reflections of Armistice Day will be filled with solemn pride in the heroism of those who died in the country’s service and with gratitude for the victory.”
- President Woodrow Wilson, 1919, in proclaiming Armistice Day (which would later become Veterans Day) on the anniversary of the end of World War I.
“Only the dead have seen the end of war.”
- Philosopher George Santayana, 1922, in his book, “Soliloquies in England and Later Soliloquies.” (This quote is often misattributed to Plato.)
“I saw your sons and your husbands, your brothers and your sweethearts. I saw how they worked, played, fought, and lived. I saw some of them die. I saw more courage, more good humor in the face of discomfort, more love in an era of hate, and more devotion to duty than could exist under tyranny.”
- Comedian Bob Hope, 1944, in “I Never Left Home,” his book about going on tour to entertain the troops, which he did in every U.S. conflict from World War II to the Persian Gulf War.
“The nicest veterans…the kindest and funniest ones, the ones who hated war the most, were the ones who’d really fought.”
- Author Kurt Vonnegut, 1969, in “Slaughterhouse-Five,” his novel about the Allied firebombing of Dresden during World War II.
“Veterans know better than anyone else the price of freedom, for they’ve suffered the scars of war. We can offer them no better tribute than to protect what they have won for us.”
- President Ronald Reagan, 1983, in a radio address to the nation.
“In war, using their native language, they relayed secret messages that turned the course of battle. At home, they carried for decades the secret of their own heroism.”
- President George W. Bush, 2001, in remarks honoring the Navajo code talkers of World War II.
“Whatever gains are secured, it is loss the veteran remembers most keenly. Only a fool or a fraud sentimentalizes the merciless reality of war.”
- Senator John McCain, 2008, in a foreign policy speech.
"How important it is for us to recognize and celebrate our heroes and she-roes!"
- Maya Angelou, writer and civil rights activist who received the 2010 Presidential Medal of Freedom.
“As we express our gratitude, we must never forget that the highest appreciation is not to utter words but to live by them.”
- John F. Kennedy in his 1963 Thanksgiving proclamation, issued before his death.
I share this information to help educate those who wonder why we celebrate Veterans day and to let our Veterans know that their Service is valued, appreciated and honored.
Keith A. Brown, Superintendent
Klamath Falls City Schools
“Every student, every day, whatever it takes!”
A note to KFCS staff
The first ever Klamath Falls Into Fitness Challenge will start this October and November. We’ll be signing up as an organization team to compete in two areas:
- Average Miles Moved Per Employee
- Average Minutes Moved Per Employee
You can take the pledge here - www.healthyklamath.com/klamath-falls-into-fitness-pledge
Just make sure you list Klamath Falls City Schools as your team. When you sign up, you’ll be able to participate as part of our team and also as an individual in the community challenge. Healthy Klamath has asked us to be a part of this challenge, along with countless other establishments in the community. There will be awards and prizes for the challenge, community fitness classes and events you can attend.
Learn more about the challenge here - www.healthyklamath.com/fall-into-fitness
You’ll be able to read up on the different areas and check out a calendar of free community events and exercise opportunities for the months of October and November.
The benefits of staying physically active and healthy include longevity, less chronic disease, less cognitive decline as we age, and more. Let’s take the challenge together to be healthier this fall!
Klamath Union knows cross country.
Longtime cross country and track and field head coach Rob Coffman has had a long tenure of leading star cross country teams since he has been coaching the Pelicans.
This year was no different. Coffman helped the Pelicans to back-to-back girls cross country district championships.
KU had a strong showing in this past week’s OSAA Class 4A Cross Country State Championships at Lane Community College in Eugene. Juniors Isabela Coffman and Carter Harmon excelled and both the placed in the state meet, each coming away with eighth-place finishes in the 5,000-kilometer run.
Isabela Coffman’s eighth-place finish in the girls race helped the Pelicans place fourth in the team standings. Behind Coffman in the competition was Aubrey Syrnyk, Eleanor Rodriguez, Grace Keyser, Hazel Squibb, Lina Stanfield and Kara Johnson, respectively.
Coffman completed the race in 20 minutes, 17.6 seconds, a race of 103 runners.
In the boys run, Harmon’s time was 16:45.4 as the Pelicans placed 10th as a team.
Finishing after Harmon for KU was Bryce Peterson, Damien Hunt-Plummer, Connor Olsen, Isaac Barnes, Connor Carlson and Micah Gaede, respectively.
Achieving her goal
The state competition was the first time the two juniors reached the podium. Unquestionably, the most difficult moment was a slope runners had to embark on near the end of the race.
The terrain at Lane was notably difficult and started out on 100 meters of turf field before going up a 50-meter steep hill. The runners then had to run on bark chips, around a pond before having to go up an even taller hill, then taking a long loop around the pound before finishing off at the college’s track.
“The hardest part was finishing on the track. I visualized myself on the track because it finishes as a 300 so we have done a lot of workouts to prepare for that,” Isabela Coffman said. “I had to dig down deep there and think about everything I have done in order to get to that point.”
Coffman said she knew the top four, five spots would be difficult to grab but knew she had a chance to attain any spot after that.
She was aware of her surroundings, knowing she had a runner, who specialized in 400, 800-meter runs, right on her tail.
She was poised and determined to carry out a goal she sought out for since she began her training this past summer.
“I had a goal all season to get on the podium at state. My dad and I, my coach, had a plan that we knew four or five girls would just take off and I had no shot at those spots. We knew there would be a pack of us going so I led that,” Isabela Coffman said. “I realized that more as I got tired, you always want to slow down but I told myself I have come too far to give up now. How much more can I hurt than the girl beside me.”
Coffman said Lane was the hardest race mentally she was a part of because of the pressure of being in the state tournament and said a race at Moore Park was the hardest race she did this year.
Her junior season has been her biggest jump at state after finishing in the top 20 her freshman year, a shortened six-week season due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and ended in 19th last year.
To help her grow physically, as she was in vacation in Utah this past summer, Coffman trained with Pine View High School for two weeks and worked on her conditioning and weight lifting.
Coffman admits one of her role models is her older sister and KU graduate Nicolette Coffman, who ran for Dixie State University and now runs at Utah Tech.
“I look up to her a lot as a figure to know with hard work there can be success … and from my dad, seeing all the time, countless hours he spends on this sport and what it means to him, along with my grandpa. I have seen all that and the success they’ve had.”
The top Klamath Basin male runner
Harmon too was caught off guard by the steep hill before the run down to the track in the state meet. The top male KU distance runner, however, left the final race of the year with plenty to look back on.
“After the first mile, people caught up and it was harder to race and after the second hill, it went downhill from there and started getting tired,” Harmon said. “I thought I did well though and was not mad about how I finished.”
Harmon envisions his best finish next year as he took 11th place a year ago in the state competition.
One of Harmon’s personal highlights this year was beating the second-best male runner in the Klamath Basin, Grant Bohannon of Hidden Valley.
At the district meet, Harmon beat Bohannon by three seconds.
“My mindset is the reason for my improvement. For the district meet, I stuck with Grant the whole time and passed him. He was my biggest, not enemy, but competitor,” Harmon said.
He also learned a lot from some of the little things he had shared with his team and coaches this year.
The team added various stretches and did small speed hurdles at the end of practices, which Harmon knew helped him. He admitted, through his running career, going through the discomfort of side cramps, which at a moment, was a low point he faced.
“It all started in fourth grade, some of my friends were joking around saying we were going to do the 1,500 since it was the longest race; it was almost a mile and it was crazy to us. I thought, why not and I excelled in it and decided to keep going.”
It was in sixth grade when Harmon began to take long-distance running seriously, and at districts that year, beat a competitor by one-hundredth of a second to earn ninth place.
“It gave me the confidence to improve and be the best,” he said. “I had a low point in my career but received advice from my coaches and parents, now here I am.”
~By Media Relations Specialist , Joaquin Aguilar-Flores
College & Career Application Week at KU This Coming Week
KU College and Career Coordinator Karla Andrade is helping put together an entire week of filling out career and college applications for all students at Klamath Union, and will be from Nov. 14 through Nov. 18.
This is a week where all KU students are encouraged to look out for the different organizations that will be visiting and learn about the options available to them after they graduate high school.
To entice seniors in participating, there will be a raffle at the end of the day on November 18th for any seniors who received tickets doing any of the following:
- Filled out FAFSA/ORSAA
- Created a Resume
- Applied to College/University or Trade School
- Applied to a future job
- Completed the ASVAB test, which is happening during that week
- Completed Oregon Promise
- Completed the OSAC Scholarship application
- Asking Ms. Andrade for help on making a plan for when after students graduate
- Apple Ipad, apple watch
- TV and more
Among the organizations and schools which will attend are: US Marines, Army Guard, US Navy, Air Force, College of the Siskiyous, WyoTech College, Grand Canyon University, KCC, KCC Nursing Programs, KCC Fire Department, SOU, Portland State University, Western Oregon University, Eastern Oregon University, Bogatay Construction, Bowers Construction, Bushnell University and Universal Technical Institute.
KUHS Alumni
The new district website has an Alumni page for graduates of KU. This past week, six KU alumni sent us updates on their lives since they graduated. Take a look on the KU Alumni page on the district website. And, if you are an alumni, be sure and send us YOUR update!
EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES - JOIN OUR TEAM!!
Apply for a District Job Opening
Become a Substitute Teacher or Paraprofessional in our District
PARENT LINKS
Click Here for the Family Friendly 2021-2022 School Year Calendar - English
Click Here for Family Friendly 2021-2022 School Year Calendar - Spanish
Parent Tyler SIS Portal
Electronic Flyers for Your Students School
School Messenger - To opt-in to text messaging text YES to 68453
Klamath Falls City Schools
1336 Avalon Street
Klamath Falls, Oregon 97603
541.883.4700
Keith A. Brown, Superintendent
