WESTMINSTER : Flag Day Is Unfurled in Schools

As bands played “The Star-Spangled Banner” and flags fluttered, adults and schoolchildren throughout the county paid tribute to Old Glory on Monday.

In Westminster, more than 520 students at Carrillo Elementary School celebrated Flag Day during a 30-minute morning ceremony.

Waving small American flags, students watched silently as a Marine Corps color guard from the Tustin air station lowered faded U.S. and California flags. As Garden Grove’s Bolsa Grande High School band played “Taps,” the three Marines folded the flags into triangles, then replaced them on the flagpole with new, richly colored ones.

Fifth-grader Benny Ruvalcaba, 10, of Santa Ana said later that the celebration, and others like it, “bring the country together. If you live here, you have to respect the flag.”

Benny and his classmates raised $50 to buy the two new flags by selling pencils, flowers and candy earlier in the year, Principal Sandi Wright said. She added that recognizing Flag Day is especially important for Carrillo students because it offers children with diverse backgrounds a common tradition.

“Our children come from different cultures and different heritages, but we teach them to be proud and respectful of their rights and responsibilities as Americans,” she said.

At the Westminster Civic Center, community leaders from across the county gathered for the 11th annual “Pause for the Pledge” celebration.

During the hourlong program, the Warner Middle School band played patriotic songs while hundreds of children from five local schools waved tiny American flags and sang. Students wearing native costumes from Mexico, India, Samoa, Africa and Hawaii paraded before the audience.

Afterward, members of the Westminster Fire Department unfurled a 20-by-30-foot American flag.

Students at Iva Meairs School in Garden Grove had been preparing all year for the occasion.

“We’ve been learning patriotic songs, doing art projects and getting speakers,” said second-grade teacher Linda Wheeler. “We’re teaching that patriotism comes in all colors and speaks all languages.”

Nine-year-old John Quiggle said he had been looking forward to Flag Day all year. “It feels like such an inspiration to me,” said the third-grade student, who lives in Garden Grove. “All these different guests and people I don’t know are here, and it feels like they’ve invited us for a very special reason.”

Officials expressed their satisfaction with the day’s activities.

“This is nicer than it has ever been,” said Westminster Councilman Frank Fry Jr. “This is the biggest turnout from schools we’ve had, and the celebration gives kids meaning. Anything we can do to bring this country together to solve problems is beneficial. This is a national holiday, this is our way to celebrate the flag.”