From left: Edgecomb Eddy School sixth-graders Jack Castonia, Connor Wenners, Anthony Gelormine, Carolyn Potter, Brynna Nelson, Nathalie Paulino, Kathryn Hibbrard, and teacher Terry Mulligan at the North Edgecomb Cemetery on Tuesday, May 23. (Abigail Adams photo)
The Edgecomb Eddy School sixth-grade class helped the town launch a new tradition Tuesday, May 23. Students traveled to the North Edgecomb Cemetery behind the town hall to place flags on the graves of veterans in honor of Memorial Day.
Edgecomb Eddy School sixth-grader Anthony Gelormine places a flag on a veteran’s grave at the North Edgecomb Cemetery on Tuesday, May 23. (Abigail Adams photo)
The Edgecomb Board of Selectmen has traditionally been responsible for placing the flags on veterans’ graves in town, Selectman Ted Hugger said. Selectmen hope the annual activity will be a cooperative effort between the town and the school in the future.
“I hope this is the start of a new tradition,” Hugger said. The event not only teaches students about the heritage of Edgecomb, but also about honoring the veterans in their families and in the community.
“They’re learning about the history of the town and also about the sacrifices that veterans make,” said Terry Mulligan, Edgecomb Eddy School’s sixth-grade teacher.
About a year ago, selectmen and the school began a conversation about how to get students more involved in the community, Mulligan said.
Students typically go caroling for the elderly around the Christmas season and help out at food banks, Mulligan said. Placing flags on veterans’ graves for Memorial Day seemed like a good way to get students more involved, and help them learn about civic duty.
Students combed through the cemetery, with gravestones dating back to the 1800s, in search of the star that signifies that a gravestone belongs to a veteran. Students said they were enjoying and learning from it.
The event is teaching students “to be respectful,” student Anthony Gelormine said.
Student Carolyn Potter said her father, mother, and two grandparents are veterans. “It means a lot to me and my family to respect other veterans,” Potter said.
Edgecomb Eddy School sixth-graders search for veterans’ gravestones to place flags on in honor of Memorial Day at the North Edgecomb Cemetery on Tuesday, May 23. (Abigail Adams photo)
