Anthony Bush/The Capital-Journal

From left, Cory Russell, Adam Brown, Andrew Malleck and Brad Smith, members of the Topeka High School Marine Corps Junior ROTC armed drill team, practice presenting the colors in front of a large, painted wooden flag Thursday at Topeka Collegiate School before the school's National Anthem Project Day ceremony.

Student patriots: Oh, say, can you sing

Locally and across the nation, students pay tribute in song

By Ann Marie Bush
The Capital-Journal

Dressed in red, white and blue, Topeka Lutheran School students joined voices with students at schools across the U.S. on Thursday in singing "The Star-Spangled Banner" as part of National Anthem Project Day.

On Sept. 13, 1814, Washington lawyer Francis Scott Key watched as the British navy attacked Fort McHenry. Inspired by the American troops, he penned the poem, "The Star-Spangled Banner" on Sept. 14, 1814. It officially became the country's national anthem in 1931, the National Anthem Project Day Web site states.

National Anthem Project Day is a special day set aside for students to learn about the national anthem and its history.

A wall in the TLS gymnasium during an all-school assembly Thursday was lined with artwork created by third- and fourth-graders. A drawing by fourth-graders Daniel Tangari and Trayton Schafer depicted the Arlington National Cemetery. Another, created by student Makena Utech, showed the Gadsden flag, which reads "Don't Tread on Me."

During the assembly, seventh-graders Scot Corzine, Brynn Johnson and Dalton Savage demonstrated how to properly fold an American flag, while other students read what each fold represents.

Allison Scott, a TLS fifth-grader, joined her classmates in singing the national anthem, the Pledge of Allegiance and the Pledge to the Christian Flag at 9 a.m.

"Basically, it represents our country," Allison said of the flag. "It shows how proud we are of our country."

Bill and Carol Utech, of Topeka, and their visitors Jack and Sarah Dawson, of Paris, Ill., were spectators at TLS' event. The Utechs have two granddaughters who attend the school.

"It was really special to me," Carol Utech said. "I really liked the Christian aspect."

At Topeka Collegiate School, small flags lined the school's walkway. Students decked in flag T-shirts and red, white and blue entered the building as the flags blew gently in the breeze.
 

Inside, members of the Topeka High School Marine Corps Junior ROTC's armed drill team practiced carrying the colors up and down an aisle in front of a large, painted wooden flag in Assembly Hall. Dr. Alan Bearman, a Washburn University professor, studied his notes in one corner.

Bearman, a naturalized U.S. citizen from London, was preparing to speak to students about the War of 1812.

"The War of 1812 is the second war of independence," he said while looking over his notes. "That's what makes it important. It tends to get forgotten."

National Anthem Project Day is a "great chance for small children to connect to the history that makes them American," Bearman said.

Students convened in the hall at 8:30 a.m. David Hudspeth, head of the school, brought activities to a start with a welcome. At about 8:50 a.m., Secretary of State Ron Thornburgh addressed the students. After Thornburgh spoke, students sang the first verse of "The Star-Spangled Banner."

Students from Scott Computer and Technology Magnet School also celebrated the day. They gathered around the school's flagpole to sing the national anthem at 11:15 a.m.