Wednesday, February 04, 2009
Bonsack Elementary School: Posting new colors
Bonsack celebrates its new national and state flags.
Photos by Kyle Green | The Roanoke Times
William Byrd High School Air Force Junior ROTC Cadets Alexis Brown (left), Holden Fleming and Jacob Pruitt salute as the United States flag is raised outside Bonsack Elementary School. Bonsack Elementary was replacing its old, worn flags.
Students and teachers at Bonsack Elementary School brave the cold to participate in a ceremony to replace the school's old national and state flags.
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One by one, the elementary school students filed out of the building to choruses of "zip up that coat" and "hands in pockets" from their teachers.
Fifth grade, then fourth, all the way down to the tiny first-graders lined up around the bus loop, staring expectantly at the flagpole.
The day had finally arrived for Bonsack Elementary School to get new United States and Virginia flags, and it was a cold one.
The school's old, tattered flags needed to be replaced, that was a given. But the new United States flag was special -- it flew over the U.S. Capitol on Nov. 14.
The Bonsack Elementary School PTA also purchased a new state flag.
"In recognition of the Bonsack Parent Teacher Association past, present and future," read U.S. Rep. Bob Goodlatte from a certificate he presented to the school along with the new U.S. flag.
Well, he technically presented the flag to the William Byrd Air Force Junior ROTC color guard. The four student representatives hoisted the two flags into the sky under the close watch of hundreds of little pairs of eyes peeping out from in between hats and scarves.
"Now we have two brand-new flags flying at Bonsack," said Principal Deedie Kagey. "What a wonderful morning."
Goodlatte said he often visits schools, but presenting a flag is something he does rarely. He said the ceremony held at Bonsack was critical to showing the importance of the flag to the young students.
"They're the future of our country," said the 6th Congressional District representative from Roanoke County. "They're the people who will protect democracy and freedom. They need to learn about these things, and this ceremony makes it important."
Two very special students were selected to participate in the flag raising ceremony.
"It was so cool. We actually got to see a congressman," said 10-year-old Kayla Altice. "We actually got to say the pledge in front of him."
Kayla, a fourth-grader and the Student Council vice president, along with the SCA president, fifth-grader Brad Smith, led the Pledge of Allegiance after Old Glory was raised. Kindergarten teacher Kari Sullivan performed the national anthem.
After the students filed back indoors, Goodlatte met with nutritional staff before proceeding to the school's library to read to first- and second-graders.
When all the noses had warmed, Goodlatte settled in to read "House Mouse, Senate Mouse," a book about a classroom of mice from "Moussouri" who write to Congress asking for a law declaring a national cheese.
After the reading the book, explaining the job of a congressman between pages, Goodlatte opened up the floor to questions.
"I like that best," he said. "They ask almost anything you can imagine."
Everyone in the room expected a question about government or maybe even mice, but the first question asked seemed to prove Goodlatte's point.
He couldn't quite hide his surprise as a first-grader asked, "Do you have Facebook?"
