{"id":79140,"date":"2020-05-11T07:36:33","date_gmt":"2020-05-11T11:36:33","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.owegopennysaver.com\/PS\/?p=79140"},"modified":"2020-05-13T05:04:58","modified_gmt":"2020-05-13T09:04:58","slug":"a-mothers-pride-a-students-desire-to-serve","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.owegopennysaver.com\/PS\/2020\/05\/11\/a-mothers-pride-a-students-desire-to-serve\/","title":{"rendered":"A mother\u2019s pride, a student\u2019s desire to serve\u00a0\u00a0"},"content":{"rendered":"

When Jack Symons bid farewell to Owego Free Academy (OFA) in 2019, his place in the world became a life-defining decision, and, at first, the choice surprised his family.<\/p>\n

Jack\u2019s mother, Mandy Neira, said that she had asked her son several times, \u201cAre you sure?\u201d<\/p>\n

\"A<\/a>

Pictured is 2019 OFA graduate Jack Symons, who recently completed basic training at Fort Benning, Ga. Symons is a Cavalry Scout in the U.S. Army National Guard and will be attending SUNY-Brockport. Provided photo.<\/p><\/div>\n

Jack chose to join the U.S. Army National Guard. He recently completed basic training at Fort Benning, Ga., and is now a Cavalry Scout. However, due to COVID-19, a ceremony was held virtually.<\/p>\n

Starting this fall Jack will attend SUNY-Brockport, supported by the G.I. Bill. He must commit to his job with the Guard for six years, and while at Brockport will participate in a monthly drill.<\/p>\n

National Guard members are expected to be prepared for a real-world emergency or deployment, so while at Brockport, Jack expressed to his mother that the Guard takes priority; hence, no time for baseball, which was a passion at OFA.<\/p>\n

Jack told his mother that he hoped his family was proud of him.<\/p>\n

Mandy said they are all very proud, and remarked, \u201cI work for a defense company (Lockheed Martin), so I have a personal respect for all in the military.\u201d<\/p>\n

It was difficult when Jack, Mandy\u2019s youngest child, was away at basic training. A three-week span between phone calls home seemed longer, but it was the \u201cLetters to Mom,\u201d hand-written by Jack, that she treasured.<\/p>\n

She remarked, \u201cHe mailed me pages and pages of his thoughts,\u201d and added, \u201cThese were the best gift to receive.\u201d<\/p>\n

A passion for music and travel, along with G.I. Bill benefits, were a few of the check marks that drew OFA class of 2020 senior Emmalyn Saddlemire to seriously consider the U.S. Marine Corps.<\/p>\n

\u201cMusic has shaped me into who I am today,\u201d Emmalyn remarked.<\/p>\n

A musician since grade school, Emmalyn\u2019s main instrument is the clarinet, with trombone secondary. Amazingly, she can play saxophone, trumpet, flute, and more.<\/p>\n

Finishing up her senior year at OFA, virtually, has been, \u201cDifficult, and a big change,\u201d although she is making the best of it while reflecting, \u201cEverything happens for a reason.\u201d<\/p>\n

Emmalyn keeps in touch with friends via social media, and catches up with classmates in the virtual classrooms.<\/p>\n

Events at OFA have been canceled or put on hold, yet one she hopes they can still pull off is prom, and commented, \u201cIt\u2019s our last celebration, and I hope it can still happen later this summer.\u201d  <\/p>\n

Emmalyn credits her beloved great-grandmother, who passed away in April, for inspiring her love for music.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen the coronavirus hit, I couldn\u2019t go see her,\u201d Emmalyn noted, adding, \u201cI spent a lot of time with her, she was like a second mother.\u201d<\/p>\n

Emmalyn reminisced about visiting her great-grandmother\u2019s house, and where she often listened to jazz, hits of the big band era and 50\u2019s and 60\u2019s tunes, all of which have impacted her music appreciation.<\/p>\n

Emmalyn\u2019s involvement with the OFA music program is notable, from the Concert Band to the Jazz Band, along with the Concert Choir to the Chamber Singers. She was selected as a member of the Area All-State Choir and performed at four NYSSMA competitions.<\/p>\n

In addition, she played in the Binghamton Youth Symphony Orchestra, hit the soccer field for three years, and was a member of the Yearbook staff and YES Leads! Emmalyn also completed a two-year degree program via TC3.<\/p>\n

Emmalyn shared that a two-plus week trip she took to Europe in 2018 with American Music Abroad was, \u201cAn amazing experience.\u201d While there, she performed ten concerts with other youth from Upstate New York and New Jersey. Performing in a Christmas show with Family Life Network is another favorite memory.<\/p>\n

Interestingly, it was a free Marine Corps lanyard on a vendor table that first caught her attention during an All-State event in 2018.<\/p>\n

She said, \u201cI didn\u2019t think too much of it at first,\u201d until she chatted further with Marine Corps representatives.  <\/p>\n

Once she learned that the G.I. Bill could help with her college education, another appealing aspect was the opportunity to travel around the world while playing as part of a Marine Corps band.<\/p>\n

Emmalyn is working on a recording to submit as a pre-screening prior to a formal audition process. Recruiters also gave her music excerpts to practice.<\/p>\n

Boot camp, Emmalyn said, is slated for later this year or early 2021, followed by a six-month practice period with one of eight Marine Corps bands. As for college, Emmalyn is interested in biochemistry and mathematics, with an eye on two colleges, and to be determined. <\/p>\n

Jaime Saddlemire, Emmalyn\u2019s mother, is saddened that students will be unable to gather for recognition of their accomplishments or attend events because of the virus.<\/p>\n

\u201cI am just heartbroken,\u201d Jaime said.<\/p>\n

Regarding Emmalyn\u2019s future goals, Jaime remarked, \u201cI was surprised by her choice, but I am so proud of Emmalyn.\u201d <\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

When Jack Symons bid farewell to Owego Free Academy (OFA) in 2019, his place in the world became a life-defining decision, and, at first, the…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":79141,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-79140","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"yoast_head":"\nA mother\u2019s pride, a student\u2019s desire to serve\u00a0\u00a0 - Owego Pennysaver Press<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"http:\/\/www.owegopennysaver.com\/PS\/2020\/05\/11\/a-mothers-pride-a-students-desire-to-serve\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"A mother\u2019s pride, a student\u2019s desire to serve\u00a0\u00a0 - Owego Pennysaver Press\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"When Jack Symons bid farewell to Owego Free Academy (OFA) in 2019, his place in the world became a life-defining decision, and, at first, the...\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"http:\/\/www.owegopennysaver.com\/PS\/2020\/05\/11\/a-mothers-pride-a-students-desire-to-serve\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Owego Pennysaver Press\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/The-Owego-Pennysaver-49179420591\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2020-05-11T11:36:33+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2020-05-13T09:04:58+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"http:\/\/www.greenstreetdata.com\/PS\/owego\/files\/2020\/05\/Mothers1.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"792\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"616\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"psadvert\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"psadvert\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"4 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"http:\/\/www.owegopennysaver.com\/PS\/2020\/05\/11\/a-mothers-pride-a-students-desire-to-serve\/\",\"url\":\"http:\/\/www.owegopennysaver.com\/PS\/2020\/05\/11\/a-mothers-pride-a-students-desire-to-serve\/\",\"name\":\"A mother\u2019s pride, a student\u2019s desire to serve\u00a0\u00a0 - Owego Pennysaver Press\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"http:\/\/www.owegopennysaver.com\/PS\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"http:\/\/www.owegopennysaver.com\/PS\/2020\/05\/11\/a-mothers-pride-a-students-desire-to-serve\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"http:\/\/www.owegopennysaver.com\/PS\/2020\/05\/11\/a-mothers-pride-a-students-desire-to-serve\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"http:\/\/www.greenstreetdata.com\/PS\/owego\/files\/2020\/05\/Mothers1.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2020-05-11T11:36:33+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2020-05-13T09:04:58+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"http:\/\/www.owegopennysaver.com\/PS\/#\/schema\/person\/e03684194434956dfb61f5ffcbc19492\"},\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"http:\/\/www.owegopennysaver.com\/PS\/2020\/05\/11\/a-mothers-pride-a-students-desire-to-serve\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"http:\/\/www.owegopennysaver.com\/PS\/2020\/05\/11\/a-mothers-pride-a-students-desire-to-serve\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"http:\/\/www.owegopennysaver.com\/PS\/2020\/05\/11\/a-mothers-pride-a-students-desire-to-serve\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"http:\/\/www.greenstreetdata.com\/PS\/owego\/files\/2020\/05\/Mothers1.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"http:\/\/www.greenstreetdata.com\/PS\/owego\/files\/2020\/05\/Mothers1.jpg\",\"width\":792,\"height\":616,\"caption\":\"On the right, OFA senior, Emmalyn Saddlemire, poses with OFA music teacher Lindsey Williams at a previous NYSSMA competition. 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