By David Vitrano

L’Observateur

LAPLACE – Do you know what the different portions of the U.S. flag signify? What about how to properly fold the flag and what each fold signifies? Well, thanks to group of civic-minded individuals composed mostly of members of the LaPlace Rotary Club and the Veterans of Foreign Wars Ladies Auxiliary, the students of St. John the Baptist Parish do.

In a program begun last year, the group travels to each fourth grade in the parish to educate them about that particular symbol of national unity, with a few other informative morsels thrown in for good measure.

For instance, according to Mary Lynn Alltmont, last year the group spoke on the presidential inauguration.

Still, the main focus is the flag itself. Among the topics covered

by the group is the name and

significance of each portion of

the flag, proper flag flying and disposal etiquette, the history of the flag and proper flag folding technique (see L’Observateur’s Web site at www.lobservateur.com for a video of this particular portion of the program).

One of the highlights of each session, though, is the questions and answers when each student in the class has an opportunity to win a miniature flag pin for answering a flag trivia question correctly.

The benefits of the program go well beyond the pins, however. Facts the students learn during the presentation show up on the LEAP test, which each fourth-grader must pass to advance to the next grade level. In fact, this year John L. Ory Principal Teri Noel asked the group to wait until March to visit so the presentation would be fresh in her students’ minds when the test is administered.

The students aren’t the only ones benefiting from the experience either. “To me it’s just been an amazing experience,” said Alltmont. “I just personally feel it’s a wonderful thing to be bringing in.”

According to Alltmont, the program was started by a group in Tangipahoa Parish called the Shiloh Homemakers before being adopted by the group in St. John.