Kindergartners at Southold elementary school were asked to come up with an idea to demonstrate good citizenship during their civics studies.
The students decided they wanted to buy a flag for Southold’s field of flags display in front of Southold High School. They each gave 50 cents and ordered a flag from the flag project organizer, Christine Imbriano.
Imbriano, a special education teacher and freshman class advisor, is the force behind the field of flags display in front of the high school. For the past few years dozens of American flags have graced the school; this year there are 66.
Students in kindergarten classes taught by Lynn Shaffer, Karen Krukowski, Kim Annicelli and David Riddell participated.
The kindergartners — with first graders tagging along — visited the flag field this afternoon where they sang ‘It’s a Grand Old Flag,’ met members of the NJROTC and got a mini-lesson on all the different branches of the military represented on the flags.
“They’ve been noticing [the flag field] every time they’re on the bus, watching the flags, and today was our culminating event of the unit,” says Shaffer.
As they prepared to walk back to the classroom Shaffer asked the students who they were honoring with the flag.
“Veterans!” they all answered together.
“And what did they do for us? They kept our country…”
“Safe!” answered the Southold graduating class of 2029.
Editor’s note: This article was amended after publication to include the names of kindergarten teachers omitted from the original version.
SoutholdLOCAL photos by Katharine Schroeder
