Governor's Foot Guard Helps Middletown Students Mark Flag Day

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The led off Macdonough Elementary School's Flag Day ceremonies Wednesday with a presentation of the flag. Two hundred students of all ages witnessed this solemn ceremony, part of a schoolwide assembly moved indoors to the gym due to the rainy weather.

Mayor Dan Drew spoke to the children, explaining the historical events that led to a national designation of Flag Day. "They burned the White House. It's hard for us to believe today but at one time the White House was set on fire by the British troops," Drew said.

"Today, there is still a little brick on the Truman Balcony on the south side of the White House, called the portico, where the President of the United States ever since then made sure they never paved over it so they could always see a little piece of charred stone," Drew said.

Third- through fifth-grade students sang "This is America," kindergartener Sadie Cohen sang "Fifty Nifty United States" accompanied by fifth-graders, and younger grades ended the program with "You're a Grand Old Flag."

The mayor helped each teacher present citizenship awards to students who best exemplified the SURFS UP qualities of self-responsibility, understanding, respect, fairness and safety.

• Kindergarteners Isabel Briere, Sadie Cohen, Evan Freeman, Antonio Lopez, Zoe Monroe and Lucas Rode
• First-graders Sanuel Alam, Marisiana Brackett, Justin Jaramillo, Stephanie Monroe and Yadiel Perez
• Second-graders Kayla Davidson, Mirnela Duric, Quinn Kessel and Persaphanie Velaszco
• Third-graders Guanin Cedeno, Nora Smith, Dermot McMillan, Vishwanath Salwan and Ani Zakarian
• Fourth-graders Chante Newman, Haley Peacock, D'Andrew Saunders and Osiah Wiggins
• Fifth-graders Brandon Archer, Kayla Bucholz, Caiou Jenkins, Janise Terry, Yudelkis Vasquez and Andrew Whittle.

The primary function of the 230-year-old , a military unit of the state of Connecticut is mostly ceremonial. Each year, they participate in parades, escort duties for the governor and lieutenant governor and combined drills with the other three state organized militia companies.

Flag Day, the anniversary of the Flag Resolution of 1777, was established by the Proclamation of President Woodrow Wilson on May 30, 1916. It was not until August 3, 1949, that President Truman signed an Act of Congress designating June 14 of each year as National Flag Day, according to usflag.org.