OPINION: WHS principal teaches good lessons on Pledge
After reading the two page article in The Apple Leaf about the Wenatchee High School principal Bob Celebrezze leading the lesson on the Pledge of Allegiance, I’ve come to the opinion that he is leading all students in the right direction. He was hired to do a job and is doing it well. As a principal, he is there to teach, and you are there to learn. In my opinion, right is right even if everyone is against it. Just as wrong is wrong, even if everyone is for it.
Your principal stated that it is up to the student if they want to participate in the Pledge or not, that is within the State’s law. To stand or not to stand during the Pledge was one of the questions in the article. What reason would there be not to stand? Some might say because of religious reason as a result of the phrase “under God.” It’s one thing not to recite the Pledge, but not to stand is an excuse not to stand proud. Not to stand is rude – rude to your class members.
As a class you are united, and certainly you consider yourself a member of the class, don’t you?
Some teachers and students said that the Pledge is about pride and showing respect for the flag. That in itself is a reason to stand.
A friend of mine who is a retired teacher and now a substitute teacher recently sent me a cartoon. The cartoon shows a class of students standing for the Pledge, but one student was laying back in his chair with his legs propped up on a desk. Next to the teacher was a man in a military uniform seated in a wheelchair. The teacher said, “Kevin, it’s your right not to stand for the pledge…but let me introduce you to someone who can’t stand because he was defending that right…”
The flag is a symbol of our standard and of freedom. In a court of law, you stand. When the flag is brought forward at sporting events, you stand. I find it hard to understand why you wouldn’t stand in your classroom as Americans united. By the way, my friend told me that in all her years of teaching all of the students stood, even those who opted not to recite the Pledge.
Oh say does that Star-Spangled Banner yet wave o’er the land of the free and the home of the brave? Stand tall; stand proud. You are an American.
Bryan Langley • Oct 12, 2020 at 7:21 pm
In the frame, what was the man in the military uniform saying? Which uniform was he wearing? What was his rank?
I think it’s wonderful that people want to show respect for the flag and for veterans. But the Marine staff sergeant in the cartoon to which you referred wasn’t saying anything. He was there as a prop, for either the teacher or the cartoonist to make a point.
As a partially disabled veteran, I don’t like being put in that position. Don’t wheel me out in front of other people to make a statement. You can make it on your own. Respect is nice, but if you really want to show it, learn about the branch, rank, and name of the person you’re talking to. And above all, *listen* to them, rather than put words in their mouth.