Students lead student body in the Pledge of Allegiance

Post date: Sep 19, 2018 11:25:25 AM

For over a decade, small groups of Wells Elementary School students have been invited to the principal’s office to lead the entire student body and staff in the morning Pledge of Allegiance.

As with the school’s previous principals, students now walk to Principal April Noble’s office to recite the pledge over the school’s intercom system at 8:45 a.m. each school day.

On September 12, 2018, two girls and two boys − students of Trevor Hopwood − made the familiar journey from classroom to the school lobby area. This time it was fourth-grade students Francesca (Frankie) MacEwen, Evan Suitter, Tanner Tufts, and Kailyne Twombley who gathered around Principal Noble at her desk to speak into the phone. "It made me feel good to do the pledge because I was leading the school," commented Evan Suitter later.

In September, student selection for this began with the fourth-grade classrooms and will continue down through the other grades including the begindergarten level. And so, by the time school ends for summer break in June, every student at WES will have participated.

Noble also involves the school’s students with yoga for a few minutes each week. On Friday mornings, a few students travel to her office so that she can lead them in a brief yoga exercise that also goes out over the intercom.

“Each Friday, as part of our wellness goals, the students and I share a yoga for the classroom card. The entire school participates. ‘Yoga for the classroom’ has cards with a picture and an explanation of what pose/activity we do as a class − or in this case, the whole school.” As a result, for a few unique minutes each week, all WES students can experience some moments of meditation and calmness together.

WES Principal April Noble leads four fourth grade students in the Pledge of Allegiance on September 12, 2018. Counterclockwise (left to right) is Evan Suitter, Tanner Tufts, Francesca MacEwen and Kailyne Twombley (in front of Tufts). Since kindergarten, this is the fifth time for most of these students to lead the school in the Pledge Allegiance.

Standing before the flag in the principal’s office is (l to r) Tanner Tufts, Evan Suitter, Kailyne Twombley, April Noble, and Francesca MacEwen