Memorial Day is here once again. For the past few weeks I have been putting out the call on various Facebook pages letting people know that Poppy Planting time is near, hoping that this year people will once again show up to help us with this daunting task of placing all the flags around the front yard of the school and planting all the poppies. I am so pleased to say that this year we had a wonderful group of volunteers show up to help. Included in the group was the mayor, three councilmen, many Veterans, grandparents, parents, former Eli Whitney Students, former Eli Whitney teachers, and people who had no affiliation with the school but who just wanted to be a part of something this special.
Each year we add over 500 poppies to our display. This is our 9th year, so if you do the math, we should have over 4,500 poppies on the lawn. I have been telling the students and visitor that we have over 4,000 as I am sure that over the past few years several have been beyond repair. This year we had a wonderful woman sitting under the big white tent we set up actually fixing any broken poppies that we came across as we were pulling them out of the storage bags where they have been kept all year.
Each year as Lynn and I start discussions about whether or not we should put the display up for another year or if it has outlived its purpose, all our questions and doubts are answered on Poppy Planting Day as cars drive by and beep their horns to show their appreciation. Hearing that and seeing people pull into the bus circle and stop and look and/or take pictures of the display tells Lynn and I it is worth all the time and effort we put into it. Talking to the Veterans who stop by and thank us for doing this means so much and keeps us going for another year.
(Click on any photo to be taken to a larger view. Once in a larger view, photos can be downloaded.)
The lawn before....
We start by putting out our border of flags...
and some of the previous years' poppies...numbering in the thousands.
Mrs. Prokop's class is the first to plant poppies.
One of the Veterans who has come to help us today.
The first batch of volunteers waiting for the classes to come out.
Classes will be coming out every 10 minutes to plant poppies in the field.
Sixth graders were allowed to use the mallets to pound in their own poppies if they wished.
If a sixth grader has been here since kindergarten, then he or she would have 7 poppies in our garden.
Mr. Veteri gets a chance to experience his first Poppy Planting first hand.
Mr. Veteri is an Eli Whitney alum and one of my former students.
(above photo by Ashley Samor)
As people drove by, they beeped their horns to thank us for our display. The students really appreciated hearing the support!
We start volunteering very young here at Whitney.
Planting poppies is a family photo op.
Mrs. Wilcoxson and I have been running this event for the past 9 years. It will continue as long as she continues to teach at Whitney. Hopefully someone will take it over when she retires.
Officer Wilcoxson always drops in to plant poppies. He is a Stratford Police officer and a Veteran.
(above photo by Ashley Samor)
Mayor Laura Hoydick dropped by after the town's annual Veterans Breakfast to plant some poppies with the students. This is her second year volunteering at our display.
Mrs. Florek helped the kindergarten with their poppy planting.
Rich Tomas is an Eli Whitney alum who has helped to promote our Poppy Planting Day. He spend the entire day with us this year and last.
Bill O'Brien, Laura Hoydick, and Ron Tichy
As we were finishing up, many classes came back out to take a look at the poppy field and reflect on its meaning... Service and Sacrifice.
This Korean War Veteran took an Uber to and from Whitney so that he could take part in our poppy planting for the first time. He had seen our display for several years and had always wanted to get involved and this year he did. The children who got to plant with him were so very honored to meet him and will remember this for the rest of their lives.
Here he is waiting for his Uber to take him back home.
