Courtesy of Lake Travis Independent School District Instagram
A long-standing opportunity for junior-year English students, The Lake Travis High School veteran interview program goes beyond teaching students to honor those who have sacrificed for their country. Each year, 20 veterans sit down to share their brave and courageous experiences in the US military. Students then complete independent projects using the information they gained from these interviews – and in addition to providing students with a greater gratitude for military service, these interviews often impart wisdom as well.
John Moore contributed to the veteran interview program by telling English III students the story of his father – a WWII veteran and a purple heart recipient. Mr. Moore’s own understanding of his father’s time in the military, specifically how he worked with others to reach a common goal, allowed him to pass on several lessons to the students he met. “One thing I would submit to you: everyday, think about how you can make your family or friends better team members,” said Moore, intent on helping today’s students apply the valuable lessons his father learned in the military to their own lives.
Tara Banton-Foxhoven, Instruction and Curriculum Coach at LTHS, helped bring the veteran interview program to the high school after it was piloted at Hudson Bend Middle School in 2017. Year after year, she admires the guidance that the stories of veterans, like John Moore’s father, are able to provide teenagers. “Kids who are at the junior level or higher are starting to think about the next steps in life,” Banton-Foxhoven said. “Talking to people who have good advice is a great way to provide some clarity.”
The veteran interview program does more than allow students to honor the sacrifices and bravery of those who have fought for the United States – it provides them with wisdom that they can apply to their personal lives. As Tara Banton-Foxhoven said, “They walk away feeling inspired.”