These 4th graders do their best to honor the flag, struggle to understand impeachment
MARTINSVILLE – There are rules about how the American flag can be displayed. A big one is that it can’t be up all night unless it’s properly lit. So, unless you have spotlights, the flag has to come down.
Poston Road Elementary School in Martinsville, Indiana, has a group of kids just for that. The group is made up of four students in Cheyenne Mappes’ fourth grade class. Their official title is Flag Kids, but Tristen Stennett calls their group the Flagkeezies. According to Tristen, “keezies” sounds a lot like “kids.” Get it?
As the country girded itself for another round of impeachment hearings, the Flagkeezies headed out to the flagpole. It was Monday, the last day this group would be in charge of the flags, because Flagkeezies operate under term limits. They switch off every nine weeks.
Just before 9 a.m., all but one carried something outside. It’s usually Cierra Mobley who ended up empty-handed. Tristen carried the American flag and the Indiana state flag, Nathin Plummer carried a blue plastic chair, and LiliAnna Spilker carried the Spanish flag.
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The school recently implemented a Spanish program, and the kids love that they included the Spanish flag. There was one for Argentina, but it got torn up on accident, and they don’t have a new one right now.
Nathin set the blue chair in the mulch next to the wall of the school. LiliAnna climbed up and placed the Spanish flag and its pole in the holster screwed into the brick. It happened so quickly, you wouldn’t think a 9-year-old did it.
LiliAnna then joined Tristen, Nathin and Cierra at the flagpole, where the kids were already hooking up the American flag.
As they started to hoist the American flag up to make room for the Indiana flag, the corner of the American flag brushed the ground. Major rule violation. It didn’t really matter. The kids believe the five-second rule applies to the flag.
The whole thing took less than five minutes. It was foggy and cold, so they went back inside.
“That was the best we did it,” LiliAnna said.
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Impeachment is an 'energy spirit'
The morning announcements crackled on. The kids hopped to their feet, hands over hearts. They pledged allegiance. They stood for a moment of silence.
Across the county, adults were preoccupied with whistleblowing and extortion and quid pro quo. That same morning, an ABC News-Ipsos Poll was released stating a majority of American citizens believe President Donald Trump’s actions in regard to Ukraine warrant impeachment.
The Flagkeezies don’t know much about what has been going on in Washington. To them, Trump is the “wall builder.” Tristen said he doesn’t mind the idea of the wall, as long as it’s being made with lemonade.
They were in agreement that extortion means that you’re confident, amazing and respectful.
They weren't clear on what impeachment meant. They all stood and went to the wall where large words were spelled out in paper letters, trying to find the word “impeachment” surrounded by words like “energy” and “compliment.”
They settled on the definition of impeachment being “energy spirit.”
The Flagkeezies believe the school asks them to put up and take down the flag every day so they can learn about the flag. They also think teachers have other things to do.
“I really don’t know,” LiliAnna asked. “Do you know?”
It probably has something to do with responsibility and patriotism. Politics and current events aren’t emphasized in Mappes’ class, but the kids learn to respect the flag and everyone in the military. Besides that, Tristen could only recall learning about Abraham Lincoln and the Revolutionary War.
To Nathin, patriots are just a football team.
All four Flagkeezies were in agreement that the flag stands for our country and the people fighting for us overseas. Each of them has at least one family member who has served in the military. The 50 stars stand for the 50 states; the 13 stripes stand for the 13 colonies. They know that much.
All four love being in the group. They love the responsibility and missing class time. The one complaint, from Tristen, was about the cold. The rest of the kids called him out for complaining when he doesn’t really do much in the group.
Folding like towels and triangles
They stress about dropping the flag. They aren’t sure how often they have done it. LiliAnna and Cierra think it was only once or twice, but Tristen thinks it was at least five.
They argued about it.
“That’s why they call you butterfingers,” LiliAnna said to Tristen.
The kids don’t like to talk about dropping the flag. When it was brought up, LiliAnna started singing “The Sound of Silence” by Simon and Garfunkel. Tristen said he had crippling depression.
Anyway, the kids know how to fold the flag: in half twice, then into triangles. The Indiana flag is easier, like folding a towel.
At the end of the day, the Flagkeezies ran outside and took the flags down.
Inside, Tristen and Nathin argued over who got to do the triangles.
“Don’t fight about who does the triangles,” LiliAnna said.
She ended up doing them.
It was the end of an era. Nine weeks had flown by. Tristen and Nathin were mad, Cierra and LiliAnna were sad. They wished they could do it all year.
Around the country, Twitter erupted as adults clashed over the day's testimony, the limits of power, and complex ideas about what the flag represents. Here, the appointed representatives of Poston Road Elementary just felt honored to have done their small part for the country.
Students gathered their backpacks and coats. The Flagkeezies walked to Mappes’ class to put away the flags.
Tristen took his time returning to class. As he walked down the hallway, he swayed. He sang, “You’re a Grand Old Flag.”
Ty Vinson is a student journalist in the Media School at Indiana University.
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This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Indiana fourth graders know how to fold the flag, struggle with impeachment
