Strong Elementary School Celebrates Flag Day and Surprises Principal with send off

As published in the Southington Citizen June 26, 2015

Principal Linda Lacker welcomes veterans
Bob Klezun, Walt Hushak, Dick Fortunato
and John DeMello, Sr. at Strong School.

Joining Strong Elementary School in a celebration fo Flag Day were several local veterans who had been invited to the program.  While Flag Day is officially June 14, the school event took place on June 15, with Principal Linda Lackner and her staff holding an assembly of the entire school. Lackner did not know that there would be a jubilant celebration in her honor by the entire school following the patriotic Flag Day ceremonies.  Veterans representing American Legion Post 72 of Southington included those who had served in WWII, Korea and the Vietnam War.

Rain had moved the planned outdoor
event into the school cafeteria where students led the assembly in saluting the flag with the Pledge of Allegiance and the musically accompanied singing a of George M. Cohan’s  “It’s a Grand Ole Flag”. 

Expressing the personal meaning of the flag to him, retired Lt. Col. gathered about his presence and treasured memory of his experience in the WWII Battle of Iwo Jima in the Pacific. This led up to the famous photograph of the moment of the raising of the American flag on Mt. Suribachi, signifying the victory of the Marine invasion of Iwo Jima.  “I can’t tell you how much that sight meant to all of us who saw it.

Five Marines and one Navy man raised the U.S. Flag
at the top of Mt. Surabachi in the WWII Battle of
Iwo Jima - photo by Joe Rosenthal

That one photo, taken by Joe Rosenthal on February 23, 1945 was in newspapers throughout the world the next day. It has also been replicated in the form of a national monument to World War II in Washington DC. The image of the hoisting of the flag by five Marines and one Navy man is, to this day, a great symbol of American patriotism.“  Hushak told students that there is a  smaller version of the Iwo Jima memorial near CCSU in New Britain that they want to visit with their parents.   

Retired school principal Mark Proffitt then told the children how he remembers learning the pledge of allegiance as a boy in elementary school. Proffitt repeated the pledge to the students slowly, phrase by phrase. “To me, that last phrase, ‘with liberty and justice for all’ is the most important“, Proffitt said.”

The assembly then turned to a complete surprise for Lackner as the assembly burst into a special celebration of her retirement before the entire school, including   Board of Education members Terri C. Carmody and Jill Notar-Francesco who entered the room from a side door to proclaim the day as Linda Lackner Day on behalf of the Board and in recognition of her decades of service to Southington education. Students and teachers had prepared songs, presentations and surprises to the delight of all and the especially appreciative joy of Lacker as she was honored by students, faculty, staff, PTO and the B.O.E.   

Strong Elementary School Assembly - June 15, 2015