The online student news source of Lovejoy High School

The Red Ledger

The online student news source of Lovejoy High School

The Red Ledger

The online student news source of Lovejoy High School

The Red Ledger

Guest speaker impresses seniors

A programming day. Few things strike dread into the hearts of students more than the announcement that instead of classes, we have to endure an entire day of guest speakers and community service. I am no different. Past experience has taught me to not look forward to programming days, and I didn’t think I would make it through another presentation on sexting or cyberbullying.

My worst fears were confirmed when we were told to report to the auditorium for a speaker. Nobody had any idea who the speaker was (probably not a good sign), and Lissa Testa, the counselor introducing the guest speaker, started off the presentation by thanking seniors for actually showing up to school today (definitely not a good sign).

However, this morning’s speaker was by far the best presentation I have ever heard, in twelve years of attending the Lovejoy school district. Eric Maddox, an interrogator for the Army, told us of his experiences in Iraq, and how he spearheaded the operation that led to the capture of Saddam Hussein.

The presentation, though it was 45 minutes long, flew by as he described how his four month long manhunt in Iraq led him to discover the location of and send a team to capture Hussein. In addition to having a fascinating story to tell, Maddox was an excellent speaker. He was relaxed and casual, and was much funnier than I would expect a trained army interrogator to be.

While the topic of his speech was rather random for a programming/community service day at a high school, it was a welcome change from the usual assembly discussing senior projects or how to stop bullying. As seniors in high school, it was really interesting and eye opening to hear about a career path that I had never considered in detail. Also, it will be interesting to see the movie coming out in 2014 portraying Maddox’s operation after hearing him give a first hand account of it. The movie is titled Mission: Blacklist, and Maddox will be portrayed by Robert Pattinson.

All in all, the school’s administration nailed it on this one. I was interested through the whole presentation, and it was an awesome experience. Regardless of how the rest of the day went, seniors who missed school today for college visits, doctor’s appointments, surprise bouts of illness, or those who were too lazy to even make an excuse, missed out on hearing a once-in-a-lifetime speaker.

 

Leave a Comment
More to Discover
About the Contributor
Ginger Hervey, Editor-in-chief
Ginger Hervey cried on her eleventh birthday when she didn't get a Hogwarts letter. If there was an Olympic event for sitting around in sweatpants, eating ice cream, and watching old romance movies, she would make her country proud. She is an expert at procrastination and overloads her schedule past what any rational person would- as a result, she frequently tests how little sleep a teenager can get and still function on a basic level. To her, there is no such thing as "too old to trick-or-treat" on Halloween. To instantly be liked by Ginger, bring her chocolate chip cookies and/or mention the TV show How I Met Your Mother. She is a senior who, in spite of having ambitious plans of going to law school, can be found on weekends experimentally baking with her friends and watching Disney movies until she falls asleep on the couch. Entering her sixth and final year of high school newspaper, Ginger is thrilled to have such a dedicated and fun staff to work with, especially her co-editor, the sensational Liz Schasel. She hopes to leave a legacy of prestigious journalism and witty poll questions behind her.

Comments (0)

The Red Ledger values the opinion of its readers and encourages them to discuss its content. All comments are subject to approval by The Red Ledger staff. The Red Ledger does not allow anonymous comments and requires a valid email address. The email address will not be displayed but will be used to confirm your comments. Comments are reviewed as often as possible. Comments with inappropriate content will not be published. Once submitted, comments become the property of The Red Ledger. To see our full Comment Policy, visit https://www.theredledger.net/about-us/policies/
All The Red Ledger Picks Reader Picks Sort: Newest

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *