Annual flag-raising ceremony highlights international community, flag created by Horace Mann students

When Northwest Missouri State University celebrated its 26th annual flag-raising ceremony Oct. 20, the event also served as the unveiling of a new flag representing the University’s Horace Mann Laboratory School and Phyllis and Richard Leet Center for Children and Families.

“At Northwest, our flags represent more than just a nation,” Thomas Merlot, the director of Northwest’s International Involvement Center, said during his opening remarks at the ceremony. “They represent our students.”

With that in mind, the International Involvement Center collaborated this fall with Horace Mann fifth and sixth grade students in Sarah Winters’ classroom, where they learned about the purpose of flags and the meanings they hold. As a result of what they learned, the students in Winters’ class designed a flag to represent their school.

“We’ve talked a lot about being in fifth and sixth grade at Horace Mann, about being leaders – leaders in the classroom, leaders at our school and leaders in our community,” Winters said. “This is one way we can show our leadership.”

During this fall’s flag-raising ceremony, two of Winters’ students, Karina Wall and Raeley Kirkpatrick, presented the flag their class designed.

“As a class we studied different flags from around the world,” Wall said. “We found out how flags are made, why they are made and what each part of the flag represents. We also studied the American flag and why we are so proud of what it represents.”

Added Kirkpatrick, “Our flag represents the values we hold dear at Horace Mann and the Leet Center.”

During their process of creating the flag, Winters’ students presented what they learned to other students of all ages at Horace Mann and the Leet Center and sought their input. Winters’ students also talked with instructional aide Cathi Schwienebart, who attended Horace Mann and shared some of the school’s history, including that its school colors once were purple and gold.

After designing prototypes of their flag, Winters’ students worked with art teacher Lori Atkins to create a hand-painted prototype. The students displayed that version of their flag during Northwest’s flag-raising ceremony as the school hopes to acquire a permanent, weather-resistant version of the flag.

A crest in the middle of the flag combines the Horace Mann and Leet Center shields with two branches of leaves and the Horace Mann motto, “Together We Can.” Green-colored columns on both sides of the flag feature a series of symbols representing the school’s expectations.

Winters’ students carried their flag and joined the procession of flags as it made its way from B.D. Owens Library to the International Flag Plaza for the flag-raising ceremony on Walkout Day.

“When I look at our students, our faculty and staff walking from Owens Library to the Joyce and Harvey White International Flag Plaza with a smile on their faces, cheering each other on, let me tell you, Bearcat community, we are doing something right,” Merlot said during his opening remarks at the flag-raising ceremony. “We are not only educating the students and preparing them for the workplace, we are building global citizens and creating a sense of unity through education.”

This fall’s flag-raising ceremony also included remarks from Obioma Nwuba, a junior early childhood education major from Anambra State, Nigeria, who serves as president of the International Student Organization and was crowned this year’s Homecoming queen.

Northwest President Dr. Lance Tatum, who arrived at the University in June and attended his first flag-raising ceremony, noted the annual event as a hallmark of Walkout Day and an opportunity to bring the campus community together.

“In support of all Northwest students, we frequently hear how welcoming and appreciated this plaza is to our international friends and visitors – because beyond its sheer beauty, the plaza celebrates students from every corner of the globe,” Tatum said.

This fall, Northwest’s international enrollment totals more than 1,000 students representing 34 different countries.

“Each flag in front of you today represents a nation, its culture and its history,” Tatum said. “Northwest is a place that it is today because of the diversity we have and the sense of belonging that we work toward each and every day.”

Northwest’s inaugural flag-raising ceremony in the fall of 1998 celebrated the completion of the Joyce and Harvey White International Plaza, which pays tribute to Northwest students and alumni who have come to the University from other nations. A granite Friends Wall, located prominently at the south entrance of the Flag Plaza to acknowledge all who supported the project, features five clocks indicating the time in Maryville and four international time zones.