The Starr’s Mill High School Choir has instilled hope during a recent trip to Washington, D.C. The trip began the morning of April 3, 2008, when the chorus members met at Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport to start their life-changing journey.

Dr. John Odom, director of Starr’s Mill Choir Department, was sent an invitation of a lifetime to take students from the school’s choir to Washington, D.C., to perform at the National Cathedral on Sunday April 6, 2008.

Without hesitation, Dr. Odom proudly accepted the invitation and the challenge.

With many kudos going out to Associate Director Julia Lotti and the chaperones (Cheryl and Karl Dietmeyer, Jana Lord, Stacy Basilone, Ryan Duffy, Yolanda Gilbert, Randy and Brenda Marion, Steve and Mary Brunning and special thanks to Mrs. Toney and her husband, Bernard) this trip would not have been as great of a success nor have the same impact on all the lives reached had it not been for the tireless efforts of each.

The trip was jam-packed with much to do and no time to waste with visits to the National Zoo, the Vietnam Memorial, the Lincoln Memorial, the Korean War Monument, Ford’s Theater, the Peterson House, the National Archives, the Smithsonian Natural History Museum, the Holocaust Museum, the Navy Museum, the ESPN Zone, the White House Visitor’s Center, Arlington National Cemetery and the World War II Memorial.

One influential visit of the students, according to my son Scott, was the wreath laying ceremony at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. He explained with great pride the articulate ceremony in which the wreath is laid, the military structure while presenting the wreath and the solemn feeling that strikes the audience when the bugle sounds “Taps.”

If that were not enough, the visit to the Air Force Memorial on Saturday was worth making the trip to Washington, D.C. alone. While at the memorial, the students were standing amongst many veterans already torn by emotion.

Dr. Odom chose to show his gratitude to the service of the veterans by leading the group in an impromptu performance of “The Star Spangled Banner.”

In a letter from Dr. Odom to all of the parents of the attending students, he quotes one veteran to say, “I had lost much hope for the future of our nation’s generations to come, but because of what I have just experienced with these young souls, my hope is restored for the future of this great nation that so many of my friends died to preserve. Thank you with all my heart.”

That statement is the sole reason I am writing this. I do not think I could be more proud of Scott and all of the participants at the Air Force Memorial on that fine Saturday. Scott has come home with a new respect of our great nation and its heroes.

Alexander Korda

Fayetteville, Ga.

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