We've Got The County Covered
We've Got The County Covered
Meadowlark Elementary first graders are pictured with their American flags given by the Chinook Lions Club. No one is really sure when the flag giveaway began but senior club members think at least 40+ years ago. First graders at surrounding rural schools also receive the flags from the Chinook club. Tammy Edwards, left of students, and Bridgette Brennan, right of students, are the first grade teachers this year. Lion Sam French presented flag information to the students and Lion Ben Hall also helped with annual program.
Chinook Lions Club members handed out about 30 American flags to first graders on Presidents Day last Monday, February 20. It's a ceremony that dates back at least 40 years per senior Chinook Lions Club members. For some families it's a third generation receiving the desktop stick flags. Flags are given to Meadowlark students as well as first graders in surrounding rural schools.
Before the handing out ceremony and the end of program class photo, a Lions Club member presents a short program about the American flag-topics range from history of the flag to the flag code (how to properly display and handle the national flag).
The presenter this year was Sam (Samantha) French who alert readers will recognize as also the Director of the Blaine County Museum. Sam started this year's program with the students and Lions on hand, all saying the pledge of allegiance. It was pretty obvious this was not the first time the students had said the pledge as they shouted every word and phrase with gusto.
Sam showed photos of the first American flag and quizzed the students about how it was different than the flag hanging in their classroom. The youngsters told the presenter the first flag had fewer stars, "Because there were only 13 colonies when the first flag was made. Now we have fifty states and fifty stars on the flag." Using a slide showing a painting of Betsy Ross and George Washington as Betsy sewed what appeared to be the first flag, Sam cautioned students that "There's no real proof that Betsy Ross made the first flag, it's more likely a traditional folk story about the famous seamstress." Interestingly, the kids recognized the male figure in the portrait as George Washington and several students said, "My grandma's a seamstress, she sews all the time."
The Star Spangled Banner was the next topic. When asked what it was one eager scholar said, "It's a song." Sam explained it was the national anthem, "the country's song." She also related the story of Francis Scott Key who was inspired to write the national anthem after seeing the U.S. soldiers at Fort McHenry raise a huge American flag that was "still there" after a crucial victory over the British forces during the War of 1812. That flag, now displayed in the Smithsonian Institution, is about one quarter the size of a basketball court.
From the national anthem the students were challenged to think about flag etiquette also called the flag code. Sam showed slides and asked the students if the flags in the pictures were displayed properly. They agreed the American flag should always be at the top of the pole where it is displayed. They learned the American flag should not be part of a decoration on clothing or some other decorative item, should not touch the ground or anything below it and if left up at night, it should be lighted.
Then the students watched a video of the proper way to fold the American flag in to a triangle. I'd never thought about it but likely most of these aged kids had never seen a flag folded and they seemed fixated as two individuals folded and explained what they were doing.
And I learned why the flag is folded into a triangle. It dates back to the Revolutionary War and the folded flag triangle mimics the tricorns (hats with brims pinned up on three sides) favored by many American soldiers of that era. A triangle folded flag symbolizes the bravery and service of the soldiers who won our country's freedom from the British.
Finally, it was time to pass out the flags to each student. Ben Hall, with the Lions Club, helped with that task as did teachers Tammy Edwards and Bridgette Brennan. I gave a flag to a boy I knew whose father is in the Lions Club. I said to him, "You're dad is a Lion." He said, "No, he's a Chiefs."
Speaking of the Kansas City Chiefs and the confusion of the boy about civic clubs and favorite NFL teams, there was one more thing I learned about the American flag. The flag should never be displayed horizontally...like those huge flags they have on football fields held by a whole gang of people. The folks who put those Super Bowl half time shows together must not have had the chance to hear about the flag code as presented by Sam French. Their loss, for sure.
