In Floyd Central High School’s gym, 66 FCHS and Lanesville High School cadets lined up in front of the audience filled with family members, teachers and friends.
Normally, at the Navy Junior Reserve Officers Training Corps’ annual awards banquet, they do a marching program, showing off their skills.
This year, they decided to get creative and make a program honoring Principal John Marsh, who is retiring after 36 years in the education field.
Marsh sat in the front row, watching as each of the five platoons acted out his life from birth through retirement.
In the retirement stage, Evan Whitten, 18, played older Marsh, who was sitting under the bell tower, reading an AARP paper. Then he heard one of his favorite songs, “Cotton-Eyed Joe,” and used his walker to get up and join the other cadets in a dance party.
“It was amazing and so much fun,” Whitten said about playing Marsh.
Other skits included marching to a rap song, which portrayed Marsh’s freedom in teaching, dancing to Michael Jackson’s “Thriller,” which showed his college years and nuns teaching young Marsh in elementary school.
To get ideas, students interviewed Marsh. However, they said the answers were boring, so they decided to spice it up.
“I’m truly touched and I appreciate the effort they put into it,” Marsh said. “It was a lot of fun. It was a treat.”
When asked how close the skits depicted his life, he said with a smile, “Not totally, but close enough.”
For many of the cadets, performing in front of such a large crowd was not in the norm.
“I was a little nervous, but it went pretty well,” Jason Minton, 16, said.
“It was invigorating,” Katelyn Spainhour, 17, said. “I told my platoon to just use the energy from the crowd to get rid of nerves.”
Barbara Brace said some parents had told her that previous performances were boring. However, she said this year’s was anything but.
“I didn’t know what to expect,” she said. “But I loved it. I thought it was very good.”
As for saying goodbye after 14 years as principal, Marsh said he has mixed feelings.
“It’s bittersweet. It really is,” he said. “Kids keep you young.”
Floyd County
Related Photos
Discussion
NJROTC bids farewell to retiring Floyd Central principal
- Floyd County
-
-
THE 'V' WORD: SUB: Prosser Career Education Center moves away from stigma of ‘vocational’ school
- TARC sets Memorial Day and Kennedy Bridge route changes
-
Vietnam veteran receives medals 46 years after active duty ends
-
Pence talks bridges, jobs during Southern Indiana swing
“I think everyone senses with the recent bridges agreement, the potential for extraordinary growth,” said Mike Pence, a U.S. House member who is seeking to replace Gov. Mitch Daniels and retain the gubernatorial seat for the Republican Party.
-
Delaware woman dies in I-65 crash
-
Collingsworth Family to perform at Silver Heights Retreat Center in New Albany
The Collingsworth Family will be making a return trip to the Silver Heights Retreat and Camp Center in New Albany on Thursday, June 7.
-
Top Gun showing Saturday at the New Albany riverfront
In honor of Memorial Day, the city of New Albany will show the movie “Top Gun” on its new 40-foot screen at the Riverfront Amphitheater Saturday.
-
Organizers say lead contamination won’t hinder community garden in New Albany
Organizers said Wednesday they will proceed with a community garden despite lead contamination being discovered on the Culbertson Avenue site.
-
Gregg, Simpson tout bi-partisanship during New Albany stop
They strolled side by side down the stairs leading to the New Albany Riverfront Amphitheater Wednesday, and when they took the stage, Democratic Gubernatorial candidate John Gregg and his running mate, Vi Simpson, talked about how their differences can strengthen Indiana.
-
Gibson faces death penalty
“To seek the death penalty is a decision not to be taken lightly,” Henderson said. “But the nature of these crimes, what we have accused Mr. Gibson of here, if these two crimes are not cause for the death penalty, then I don’t know what could be considered.”
- More Floyd County Headlines
-
