Eighth grade students in the Merced City School District are learning an important history lesson this week, while also honoring our veterans, active duty servicemembers, and first responders.
Each of our middle schools has the opportunity to take eighth grade classes to the 4th annual Field of Honor at Merced College. The poignant display of approximately 1,000 flags is a joint effort between the college and Merced Sunrise Rotary. This year, MCSD students are able to visit the field thanks to a transportation grant provided by the Merced School Employees Federal Credit Union.
Students take a tour through the rows of flags with their teachers and docents from Merced Sunrise Rotary to learn about the significance of each section. There is one area dedicated to local fallen heroes, one featuring flags for each branch of the military, another with flags representing first responders, and another area that pays tribute to the lives lost on 9/11.
Students are also guided through a series of American flags that show how Old Glory has evolved from the original design featuring 13 stars in a circle to the one we fly today. On Monday, Hoover Middle School students were the first to visit the field and observed the flag that flew during President Herbert Hoover’s time in office. Students from Cruickshank, Rivera, and Tenaya middle schools were making the same trip throughout the week.
Field of Honor Co-Chairperson Nancy Edmiston says, “To have the students out here to be able to see this and to gain an appreciation for the people who are represented here is very special to us. If you read some of the stories on some of the tags, it’s amazing, absolutely amazing, and just knowing that these people served our country, that they did it by choice, and in some cases lost their lives in that process is a very special thing.”
The Field of Honor began with an opening ceremony on Sunday, during which the Honor Choir from Fremont Elementary School performed. On Friday, residents who purchased flags to honor their loved ones will be able to carry their flags in the Veterans Day Parade on Main Street. The Field of Honor will remain open until Saturday, November 12th at 4 p.m.
