Elementary students in the classroom today were not born before the horrific terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, which took place 15 years ago this month...
Whole School Flag Project
Elementary students in the classroom today were not born before the horrific terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, which took place 15 years ago this month. Many in the nation feel it is our responsibility to pass this piece of history on to the next generation so it will not be forgotten. The founders of the 9/11 Day organization hope to make something positive out of this tragedy.
“Our goal is to rekindle and reinforce the important lessons of empathy, service and unity that arose from the 9/11 tragedy,” said David Paine, president and co-founder of 9/11 Day, “and to encourage all Americans and our leaders to work more closely together again as one nation to address the challenges facing our society.”
With this spirit in mind, the teachers and staff of St. Mary School began a school-wide flag making project that spanned all ages and grades and incorporate all subject areas. Led by the junior high teachers, students in kindergarten through seventh grade looked at the flag in math lessons, while the eighth-graders helped to use their knowledge of proportions and angles to figure out how to create star patterns to be shared across the school. Students in grades K-2 traced stars, while students in grades 3–5 cut and glued. Junior high students worked to dye the fabric in the science lab, and in English, they translated the words of “The Star Spangled Banner” into their own words.
The project was then sewn together by the school secretary Karyn Brown and raised during a Pray for Peace service. Mrs. Amber Yeager shared the story of the flag after a blessing by Father Dan Redmond. All students recited the Pledge of Allegiance and sang “God Bless America.”
The flag will continue to fly outside the school building as a constant reminder of what our country stands for and the history of our struggle and resilience as a community.
Welcome Visitors From Abroad
St. Mary junior high students and teachers had the privilege of meeting and listening to a lecture and question and answer session with Mr. Peter Engle. Engle is a middle school teacher in Bavaria, Germany. He teaches sixth-grade social studies classes as well as English to sixth- through twelfth-graders.
In addition to his teaching duties, he is a member of Erasmus Plus. The organization of teachers wrote grant applications to the education council of the European Union. Upon receiving the grant for their schools, the teachers travel to other European countries in the organization to share best practices, innovative teaching methods and other information that would enhance teaching and learning in their schools. In addition, they also travel to interesting sites, share in cultural exchanges and partake in foods that are native to that country.
On every other trip, each teacher brings along students from his or her school. The students stay with host families in the school district they are visiting. In the morning, they attend classes in the local school. The afternoons are spent traveling and having fun with their host families.
Upon return home, they connect with the places they have visited through distance learning experiences, emails and social media. At times, the students from the two countries will work on school projects together. Recently, they worked on water conservation in the European Union.
The students from these host families are then invited to stay with the families that visited them. The teachers and students have visited Finland, Latvia, Portugal, Spain and England thus far. The grant is renewable every three years.
The students and teachers of St. Mary School listened and viewed a Power Point presentation in which Mr. Engle explained the Erasmus Plus program as well as what the school in Germany and Europe were like compared to our schools in the United States. It was an enriching experience for everyone.
Engle’s daughter Penelope spent the day with the seventh-grade classes.
She said, “I like your school very much and enjoyed my time with you.”
The Engle family is related to the Galeazzo family who has Evan and Oliver, seventh-graders at St. Mary School.
