“The Children’s Story” by James Clavell has wound its way into numerous classrooms and into many hands and, most recently, into the hands of the Mont Harmon Middle School student body.
The short story documents a Dystopian society where the values of the society are challenged and ultimately destroyed for a group of children in a local school by their new teacher who is assigned to their class at the beginning of the story. The teacher’s methods include disposing of the country’s flag unceremoniously.
Thus, a perfect object lesson for the Mont Harmon Pirates was born.
Wednesday morning, the school’s students were able to view and, for a select number of students, assist with the retiring of several American flags under the direction of local members of the National Guard.
Before the event, assistant principal Karen Bedont spoke to the students about the contrast between the book’s illustration of a flag retirement and the care and solemnity used in the ceremony.
A number of flags were retired throughout the day’s total of three assemblies, one for each grade served at the institution.
