Doubts lately raised were put to rest Monday when top administrators at the Perry Elementary School proved Old Glory flies in every schoolroom.
“I’m convinced,” said Mike Kelley, commander of American Legion Post 85 in Perry, who presented Perry’s school for kindergartners through fifth graders with a 10′ by 15′ U.S. flag as a gesture of good feeling.
A tireless promoter of American patriotism, Kelley recently was moved by inconsistent reports to conclude our nation’s symbol was absent from most of the Perry Elementary School’s classrooms. His Aug. 12 letter to the editor of ThePerryNews.com drew replies that seemed further to muddy the waters, leading eventually to a dialogue with the school and an effort to determine the true state of affairs.
A brief meeting Monday afternoon with the school’s top administrators, including PACES Executive Director Mary Hillman, Principal Trevor Miller, Vice Principal Joel Martin and Dean of Students Ned Menke, set all to rights.
“The gen-ed classrooms have always had flags,” Miller said. He added Mike Hansen, the elementary school’s physical education instructor, would be excited to have the large U.S. flag Kelley donated hanging in the school gymnasium.
“We did a walk through last week and found most of the classrooms have flags,” Martin said. He said some “transitional spaces,” such as rooms previously used as storage areas and now in use as classrooms, were found to lack flags but now have new ones thanks to the efforts of Tom Lipovac, director of student activities for the Perry Community School District.
Martin said District Superintendent Lynn Ubben did a walk through on Friday to confirm the symbol of America hangs in every room.
“The kids all love America and America’s flag,” Hillman said, noting three-fourths of the students in the PACES program are Hispanic, with roots in Mexico and countries of Central America and the Caribbean Sea, in addition to youngsters from Vietnam, China and Thailand.
Everyone at the elementary school meeting agreed that Perry’s latest wave of immigrants loves the U.S.
Kelley concluded by inviting everyone to the prime rib dinner the American Legion Post 85 is hosting on Oct. 1 at 5 p.m.
Good news – thanks for the follow- up and clarification.