By Cory Fatello

Hampton Union, Tuesday, June 3, 2003

[The following article is courtesy of the Hampton Union and Seacoast Online.] 1st District Congressman Jeb Bradley at Marston School Cookout. HAMPTON - The sun came out just in time for the Marston School's annual Memorial Day assembly. Students and teachers gathered out front of the school Friday morning before an audience of guests that included local veterans and the 1st District Rep. Jeb Bradley. The assembly was followed by a cookout where the congressman traded his suit jacket for a red apron and took a turn behind the grill cooking burgers and chicken for students and veterans. "It was a lot of fun," Rep. Bradley said. "I enjoyed this, especially since the sun is out."
Hampton School Nutrition Director Nancy Stiles has arranged for the 1st District's congressman to visit the school every year since the mid-1990s. It was an annual visit for Bradley's predecessor -Sen. John E. Sununu - for the past six years. "It's part of his duty," joked Stiles. The cookout followed an assembly that included a welcome by Principal David O'Connor and Assistant Principal Lois Costa, as well as remarks by American Legion Post 35 Cmdr. Ralph Fatello and Rep. Bradley. The assembly also featured poetry and musical performances by Marston students. Amanda Glynn and Robin Hunt read "America," and the third-grade class recited "Peace." The fifth-grade chorus sang the national anthem, and the student body sang "This Land is Your Land," with music teachers Pat Liddy and Gus Carlson accompanying on piano and guitar. The fifth-grade recorders performed "My Heart Will Go On." Taps were sounded by Alex Dorson, Melissa Grant and Elizabeth Cushing on trumpet, then echoed by the fourth-grade recorders. The assembly concluded with a ceremonial placing of small flags near the school entrance by students and guests. "It's absolutely great. It's great to see so many of our next generation that are patriotic," said Rep. Bradley, who concluded his remarks to students by asking them to remember our servicemen and women, and to "continue to thank them for their service 365 days a year."