728 Students Lined the Halls With Flags for Their Idaho Teacher Headed to the U.S. Navy
A middle school gym teacher in Idaho is headed to the U.S. Navy, and last week, his students gave him a surprise, emotional send-off.
According to KSL, the teacher’s name is Sean Steo, and he teaches physical education at Eagle Rock Middle School in Idaho Falls. He’s heading to the Naval Officer Candidate School in Newport, Rhode Island, where he will spend 13 weeks, followed by 15 weeks in Virginia, to ultimately become a Surface Warfare Officer.
SOUTH CHINA SEA (Oct 2, 2019) The guided-missile destroyer USS Wayne E. Meyer (DDG 108) celebrates the 10th anniversary of the ship’s commissioning while transiting the South China Sea. Named after Rear Adm. Wayne E. Meyer, the Father of Aegis, (FOA), the crew stands in formation in his namesake. Wayne E. Meyer is deployed to the U.S. 7th Fleet area of operations to support regional stability, reassure partners and allies, and maintain a presence postured to respond to any crisis ranging from humanitarian assistance to contingency operations. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Rawad Madanat/Released)
Steo, who has been teaching at the school for four years and living in Idaho for seven years, said he had been talking to recruiters for about 15 months.
It’s part of a family tradition of Naval service, as Steo’s father was a Master Sergeant in the U.S. Navy, and his grandfather served in the Navy as well.
Steo had said he would be back for one more half-day to “run the mile one more time,” but his students had a surprise in mind: a special school assembly. Students held banners that said “We’re so proud of you” and “We will miss you.” Then, a student choir sang “Anchors Aweigh.”
“I feel amazed, I’m shocked,” Steo told the TV station. “I’ve been talking to the kids every day. I thought that would be my chance to say goodbye. So all of this really was a shock to me.”
A Teacher’s Tribute
Erin Nazario, another teacher at the school, organized the send-off event. Students signed a banner that said “We Will Miss You.”
“Sean is like my little brother, and as proud of him and as happy as I am for him, I am so sad we won’t have him anymore here at the school,” Nazario told the TV station. “He is always a bright light.
(Jan. 14, 2018) The Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Ross (DDG 71) fires its 5-inch gun during a naval surface fire support exercise with the Royal Moroccan Navy as part of exercise African Sea Lion. Among African Sea Lion’s objectives is to test and evaluate US and Moroccan ability to conduct coordinated, combined naval surface fire support exercises on the Tan Tan firing range. Ross, forward-deployed to Rota, Spain, is on its sixth patrol in the U.S. 6th Fleet area of operations in support of regional allies and partners and U.S. national security interests in Europe and Africa. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Kyle Steckler/Released)
190731-N-ED185-1017 MAYPORT, Fla. (July 31, 2019) The Arliegh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Paul Ignatius (DDG 117) prepares to moor at Naval Station Mayport. Paul Ignatius, the Navy’s newest Arleigh-Burke-class destroyer, was commissioned at Fort Lauderdale, Florida on July 27, 2019 and will call Naval Station Mayport its new home. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist1st Class Brian G. Reynolds/Released)
The Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Ralph Johnson (DDG 114) and the Ticonderoga-class guided-missile cruiser USS Princeton (CG 59) steam in formation during dual carrier operations with the Nimitz and Theodore Roosevelt Carrier Strike Groups (CSG). Dual carrier operations unify the tactical power of two individual CSG, providing fleet commanders with an unmatched, unified credible combat force capable of operating indefinitely. The CSGs are on a scheduled deployments to the Indo-Pacific.
“I can’t thank you enough, guys,” Steo said during the assembly, per KSL. “This place has been more to me than I could ever say. The truth is I’m going to miss you all very, very much,” he said.
After the assembly, the KSL report said, Steo signed flags and tennis shoes for students.
“I am a firm believer that anyone who is going to go off and serve their country needs a good send-off to know they’re loved,” Nazario told KSL.
According to a KIFI Local News 8 story about the send-off, the tribute consisted of 728 students, “lining every hall in the school, each grasping an American flag in a solid show of support for their military hero.”
“This day means everything,” Steo told the TV station. “Honestly, I never would have expected this, and I’ve developed so many close relationships with all these kids… ultimately, every day that I came here for was for the kids,” Steo said. “I wanted to do right by them, and at this point, I realized I could be doing more.”
The Students Speak
“It means a lot. He’s going to fight for our country,” eighth-grade basketball player Josiah Luna told Local News 8. “He taught me how to bench press, which really impacted my life because I love going to the gym.”
“He was always one of my favorite teachers, and it’s sad to see him go,” Eighth grader Taylen Henry told Local News 8. “He also taught me some life lessons – how to treat people right, be nice to other people, and treat people the same.”
Steo taught the kids how to bench press, they told the TV station.
A Poem For a Teacher and U.S. NavySailor
Nazario, who organized the send-off, also wrote an original poem for her colleague, called “A Prayer For a Sailor”:
“ Anchors aweigh, dear friend,
To Adventures unknown.
You’re leaving us soon,
To defend our nation and home.
“You heard the call,
You answered the cry.
To serve this vast country.
Where the sea meets the sky.
“Though you may have some doubt,
And perhaps a little fear,
Please know how much love,
Supports you from here.
“With every knot,
And with every sail,
May your courage be great,
May you always prevail.
“There will be days,
That test your spirit and heart,
But the strength within,
Will help you do your part.
“You leave us a man,
And will return a sailor,
Undaunted by storms,
Untouched by failure.
“We wish you well,
You will be missed by so many,
May Fairwinds guide you,
And new friends be plenty.
“Though distance may grow,
And oceans divide.
Our pride sails with you
On every tide.
Go boldly ahead
Let your legacy be,
One of honor and service
In the US Navy.”
About the Author: Stephen Silver
Stephen Silver is an award-winning journalist, essayist, and film critic, and contributor to the Philadelphia Inquirer, the Jewish Telegraphic Agency, Broad Street Review, and Splice Today. The co-founder of the Philadelphia Film Critics Circle, Stephen lives in suburban Philadelphia with his wife and two sons. For over a decade, Stephen has authored thousands of articles that focus on politics, national security, technology, and the economy. Follow him on X (formerly Twitter) at @StephenSilver, and subscribe to his Substack newsletter.
