thedrifter
01-30-09, 11:17 AM
Wekiva Students Flying High After Flag Raising
Thursday, January 29, 2009 – updated: 9:37 am EST January 30, 2009
The American flag flying high over a school ground is a sight that many of us may take for granted. For the students of Wekiva Elementary, as they come into school each day, they're going to see their flag in a whole new light.
Early last fall the first graders of Wekiva Elementary School, through the website Anymarine.com, adopted a group of Marines stationed in Iraq. As the holidays grew close the youngsters decided to send care packages of toiletries and a variety of items to their adopted Marines. Kelly Crenshaw teaches first grade at Wekiva Elementary.
"We were hoping to get 6 boxes, one from each class. We ended up with 16 boxes filled with stuff," Crenshaw said.
The children, who had maintained correspondence with the Marines, received a treat recently, an American flag, with a certificate of authenticity stating that the flag was flown over Camp Baharia in Iraq on November 27th. The package included a letter from a grateful group of Marines. It said, in part: "You are a group of special students... you have put a smile on the Marines faces...you should be proud of yourself because we are proud of you."
To say the students were delighted might be understating it.
"They were jumping up and down, they were cheering, they were screaming. It was a great day for the first grade," said Kelly Crenshaw.
And so, on Thursday the first grade classes marched out to watch as a United States Marine handed the flag over to Principal Michael Pfieffer, who gave it to the color guard unit from Lake Brantley High's Air Force JROTC unit.
Students, some dressed in red, white and blue, others in their scout uniforms, watched as the flag, which had flown over a Marine camp in Iraq, was raised high over the grounds of their Elementary school. Principal Michael Pfeiffer said that this has been a great educational experience for these thoughtful youngsters.
"I don't think they realize the gravity of the situation until they are out there and they see an actual marine in that uniform, they see our Lake Brantley ROTC, they see that flag actually raised and I think that, looking into their eyes you could see that it touched them, and hopefully we educate a lot more than just reading, writing and math," Pfeiffer said.
Slide Show
http://www.wftv.com/slideshow/news/18602574/detail.html
Video
http://www.wftv.com/video/18598077/index.html
Ellie
Thursday, January 29, 2009 – updated: 9:37 am EST January 30, 2009
The American flag flying high over a school ground is a sight that many of us may take for granted. For the students of Wekiva Elementary, as they come into school each day, they're going to see their flag in a whole new light.
Early last fall the first graders of Wekiva Elementary School, through the website Anymarine.com, adopted a group of Marines stationed in Iraq. As the holidays grew close the youngsters decided to send care packages of toiletries and a variety of items to their adopted Marines. Kelly Crenshaw teaches first grade at Wekiva Elementary.
"We were hoping to get 6 boxes, one from each class. We ended up with 16 boxes filled with stuff," Crenshaw said.
The children, who had maintained correspondence with the Marines, received a treat recently, an American flag, with a certificate of authenticity stating that the flag was flown over Camp Baharia in Iraq on November 27th. The package included a letter from a grateful group of Marines. It said, in part: "You are a group of special students... you have put a smile on the Marines faces...you should be proud of yourself because we are proud of you."
To say the students were delighted might be understating it.
"They were jumping up and down, they were cheering, they were screaming. It was a great day for the first grade," said Kelly Crenshaw.
And so, on Thursday the first grade classes marched out to watch as a United States Marine handed the flag over to Principal Michael Pfieffer, who gave it to the color guard unit from Lake Brantley High's Air Force JROTC unit.
Students, some dressed in red, white and blue, others in their scout uniforms, watched as the flag, which had flown over a Marine camp in Iraq, was raised high over the grounds of their Elementary school. Principal Michael Pfeiffer said that this has been a great educational experience for these thoughtful youngsters.
"I don't think they realize the gravity of the situation until they are out there and they see an actual marine in that uniform, they see our Lake Brantley ROTC, they see that flag actually raised and I think that, looking into their eyes you could see that it touched them, and hopefully we educate a lot more than just reading, writing and math," Pfeiffer said.
Slide Show
http://www.wftv.com/slideshow/news/18602574/detail.html
Video
http://www.wftv.com/video/18598077/index.html
Ellie