BP Lions Club shares flag etiquette
By Loreen Berlin
School is nearing its end for the year 2019.
In fact, some schools are already on summer vacation.
Flag Day has come and gone for yet another year; however, fourth grade students at Pendleton Elementary School in Buena Park were privileged to have a Flag Day presentation by the Buena Park Noon Lions Club once again before school ended.
Each year, as near to Flag Day, June 14, and before school recesses for summer vacation, the Buena Park Noon Lions Club presents a Flag Day program for fourth graders at Pendleton Elementary School, which totaled approximately 50 students this year.
Students and teachers are not only given the opportunity to hear what the Lions have to say about the American flag, but to actually take part by reading various portions of the program and this year, all speaking parts were performed by the students, with the exception of “I Am the Flag—My Name is Old Glory,” written and permission granted for use by Howard Schnauber, which was presented by Pendleton Elementary teacher Lynn Sipes, who also coordinates the event.
And, for the past few years, professional violinist and Founder of the GATE Music Program in the Anaheim School District and now Centralia School District, Julie Metz, contributes patriotic music throughout the program on her 300-year-old violin that she was gifted when she earned her Master’s Degree in music.
Student readers gave a brief description of the history of the American flag; flag etiquette and flag code; dates to display the American flag, along with singing the National Anthem.
Students read “I Am the Flag,” written by Ruth Apperson Rous, “My Colors Symbolize,” “Indomitable Spirit” and the flag silhouetted, along with “I Am Old Glory,” written by Master Sgt. Percy Webb, USMC.
At the end of the program, each student is given a small cloth American flag to take home, with a description of the flag, compliments of the Buena Park Noon Lions Club.
Students learn facts about the flag including that the American flag has three distinctive colors of red for courage, white for liberty and blue for loyalty.
The flag has seven red and six white stripes for a total of 13 stripes. The 13 stripes stand for the 13 original colonies, which became the 13 original states of the United States.
The blue field has 50 stars, which is called “the union” and stands for the 50 states of the United States of America, including the 49th and 50th states admitted to the union, which includes Alaska was the 49th state on July 4, 1959 and Hawaii, the 50th state on July 4, 1960.
At the White House in Washington, D.C., and at the State Capitol buildings, the American flag flies each and every day.
The Flag Day presentation was brought back to life in the Buena Park Noon Lions Club by Past Club President Joe Rodehaver in 2008 and continues today. Rodehaver, who retired as a Captain after 30 years of service in the US Navy, got the program going once again after it was dormant for a number of years.
“I have a love and respect for my country and the flag, which symbolizes our freedom and the way of life we enjoy every day,” said Rodehaver. “That’s what prompted me to re-establish the Lions Flag Day to honor that deep credo and to hopefully educate children about what the flag means to all of us as Americans.”
Duty, honor and sacrifice. It is sometimes said that heroes are hard to find, but people who understand the meaning of duty, honor and country, need look no further than those who fight for freedom and democracy every day so all Americans can be enjoy freedom.
You might ask, where did the people come from who made America possible, and what did they want? They wanted freedom of religion and to live as they chose, not to be dictated to. They wanted freedom.
Programs were printed courtesy of Printmasters, of Los Alamitos, especially for the Lions Club.
