As the school year draws to a close, students in Kent City are making connections with veterans in an annual contest that brings awareness to military service through a creative outlet.
Kent City art teacher Clare Johnson helped students prepare for the annual American Legion Post 123 poppy poster contest. It’s her way of making sure they think about those who came before them and sacrificed their lives in military service.
This year’s first place went to fourth-grader Sixto-Pablo Ramirez. Every student who participated was given a certificate from the auxiliary, and the top three received financial awards. They also advanced to the American Legion district contest, where Sixto-Pablo’s poster earned third place.
The poster winning top state honors is reproduced as the official American Legion poppy poster of the year.
The red poppy symbolizes the blood shed during battle following the 1915 publication of the wartime poem “In Flanders Fields.”
On Memorial Day and Veterans Day, millions of red crepe paper poppies are made by veterans as part of their therapeutic rehabilitation. They symbolize the sacrifice of members of the armed forces and they’re distributed across the country in exchange for donations that go to help those who are disabled and hospitalized.
The tradition started in 1921 The Kent City American Legion Post connects with students all year by donating school supplies and hats and mittens for students in need. They also deliver cookies during Teacher Appreciation Week and take part in a flag-raising ceremony on the first day of school and a flag lowering on the last day of school.
Joy Walczak reporting for School News Network