Holmdel Superintendent Sings National Anthem At Friday's Game

HOLMDEL, NJ — The superintendent of the Holmdel school district, Dr. Robert McGarry, will lead the singing of "The Star-Spangled Banner" this Friday night, Sept. 14 before the Holmdel-Red Bank Regional football game.

The game will be played at home on Holmdel's Roggy Field. It starts at 7 p.m.

McGarry, who holds both bachelors and masters' degrees in music education with a concentration in voice, said he was invited to sing the national anthem by Holmdel's head football Coach Jeff Rainess.

McGarry reflected on the timeliness of the invitation as September 14 marks the very date in 1814 that Francis Scott Key revealed the lyrics he wrote for the anthem.

“This date and this week’s remembrance of the September 11th attacks are important parts of our history and I am pleased to lend my voice to this recognition in our community,” McGarry said.

Reflecting on the controversy surrounding the anthem — where some players choose to kneel while it is performed — McGarry said he believes that the national anthem is a historical symbol and that the ideas around patriotism and the events it represents play a role in helping students “understand and evaluate our history."