Students place flags for week-long recognition

Jason E. Silvers/Tribune photo Uniontown Junior High School seventh graders Ian McClure, from left, Luke Perry and Bryce Eck work as a team to place flags on the Fort Scott National Historic Site grounds Friday morning for the annual Symbols of Sacrifice event.

A group of Uniontown junior high students got a little closer to the meanings of freedom and sacrifice Friday at the Fort Scott National Historic Site.

Forty-one seventh graders from Uniontown Junior Senior High School who turned out with some school staff had a mission -- to place several U.S. flags on the fort grounds as part of the annual Symbols of Sacrifice event which began Friday.

The FSNHS is presenting the week long event to honor the sacrifice of Americans throughout the nation's history.

"We've teamed up with the fort to put in the flags the last couple of years," Cody Kramer, seventh grade teacher, said. "It's to teach (students) civic responsibilities and about the nation's fallen heroes in the War on Terrorism."

One group of students trudged through the fort grounds, damp from rains that fell throughout the day Thursday, to place flags. Students were instructed by fort staff on how to place the flags. Flags were placed in squares of a grid that encompassed the entire parade grounds so flags are evenly distanced.

Student Ian McClure said for him, each flag represents "a person."

"Each flag represents someone who has died," McClure said. "It's an honor to do this."

"It represents a person who died maybe saving somebody," student Luke Perry said. "It's special to be here today for our grade, class and school."

Fellow seventh grader Bryce Eck agreed with his classmates, adding he hopes the tradition carries over to next year's students.

"I hope next year's class will have the same experience we did," he said.

Perry said the students were moving quietly from row to row as they placed flags in order to be "respectful."