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Place flags at veterans' gravesites

Wareham Courier - 6/1/2017

WAREHAM - The first wave of Wareham Middle School seventh graders went to work at St. Patrick's Cemetery and Centre Cemetery last Friday morning in the rain.

A second group, also about 35-strong, started a little later that morning at Agawam Cemetery.

The students were there to adorn the graves of Wareham's veterans with an American Flag in tribute to their service to the country and in recognition of Memorial Day.

It's become a 13-year tradition for Wareham seventh graders.

Jessica Andrews, Wareham Middle School dean of students, started the tradition. For the first 11 years, the students performed the duty at Agawam Cemetery alone.

But, Andrews said, she found out that a single veteran and his wife were covering both St. Patrick's Cemetery and Centre Cemetery every year by themselves.

She told them, "We've got a school full of children" who would be happy to help out.

This year the practice was to be continued Thursday, but it was not only raining but thunder and lightning were forecast that day.

That left one school day before the Memorial Day Holiday - Friday.

It rained again, but there was no thunder and lightning.

Andrews said that Friday was their lone rain day to fall back on, so the work proceeded. She said, rain or shine, the flags are placed at each grave every year before Memorial Day.

And the students keep at it until each veterans' grave is recognized with the flag. The students return a number of times to replenish their supply of flags to complete the task.

There was no grousing on the part of the kids - all members of the school's Humanities Academy, teachers said.

One girl said she should have worn different shoes, but that was it, said English teacher Janelle Brangwynne. It was her second time escorting the students to place the flags.

The kids seemed far from discouraged by the weather. If anything, a couple had to be told to slow down as they hastened to find veterans' gravesites, it being disrespectful to run.

Teacher Mary Shaw was also accompanying the students Friday, as she has in past years.

She said, "I've yet to see the students not be enthusiastic, especially when they are finished and can see all the flags." She said the effect is beautiful.

The students paired off, for the most part, though some were in small groups, searching throughout the cemeteries for veterans' graves.

Seventh-grader Logan Cisneros read one gravestone of a sergeant who had died young. Cisneros said it was sad, and hit close to home because he has a cousin in the Army.

Cyrus Gomes also stopped to read the grave markers as he progressed in his task in Centre Cemetery.

MacKenzie Pimental and Riley Gomes quickly placed their first bundles of flags and were heading back to get more.

They'd already been at work for an hour but seemed anything but tired, as they trooped off to get more flags.

The intermittent rain seemed to make little impression.

Anahya Perez and Faith Wills were likewise quick to go through several bundles of flags, though Perez took some extra time at one stone, which was embedded into the earth.

It had become covered with wet pine needles.

She cleared it with her bare hands before moving on.