Flag Day is coming and in Riverhead the annual salute to Old Glory includes an elementary school essay contest and program sponsored by the Riverhead Elks Lodge.
Students in grades one through five who wrote the winning essays read them aloud at a gathering of family, friends, teachers and Elks at the lodge yesterday afternoon.
The children struck familiar but heady themes in their essays, touching on concepts of freedom, honor, justice, pride and peace — and the sense that in America, anything is possible:
“It means I am able to go to school and do whatever I want to do when I grow up. It stands for freedom and hope,” wrote second-grader Connor Downey, who took first place in the first-through-third grade division.
From third-grader Rory Mojo: “It means honor and pride. It means anything is possible… We can win wars. We can forgive others. We can do anything if we work together.”
“It stands for freedom for all in this great nation,” wrote Jason Haack.
Raul Roman, grade five — who was a winner last year, too — said the American flag is “an inspiration” that stands for “honor, freedom, loyalty and respect.”
“It’s a sign of hope and freedom,” wrote Elias Torres, fifth-grader. “It represents the hard work of past generations” and stands for “justice, liberty, peace, hard work and dedication.”
But for one 8-year-old girl, a recent immigrant from Guatemala — she came to America at age five — the things the American flag represents manifested themselves in more tangible ways.
Paulina Chocon, a third-grader at Phillips Avenue Elementary School, wrote:
“When my family moved to America from Guatemala, we saw the beautiful American flag.
“It made us know that we would now have food. We would also have a house to live in. We would have school, so we could learn and have a better life.”
The annual program at the Elks Lodge features a walk through the history of the American flag, from its roots prior to the Continental Congress adopting a flag resolution setting the first design of the flag, through the U.S. Congress in 1818 adopting the current 13-stripe design and its genesis over the years with the addition of new stars for every state in the union.
The Riverhead American Legion post provided a color guard for yesterday’s ceremonies, which were presided over by Elks Lodge exalted ruler Theresa Hubbard.
Riverhead Town Supervisor Sean Walter and council members James Wooten, Jodi Giglio and Tim Hubbard were in attendance to present each of the winners with a certificate of achievement.
RiverheadLOCAL photos by Denise Civiletti
The survival of local journalism depends on your support.
We are a small family-owned operation. You rely on us to stay informed, and we depend on you to make our work possible. Just a few dollars can help us continue to bring this important service to our community.
Support RiverheadLOCAL today.
