Grants in Action! State Flags Edition
- Alexandria Creech
- Sep 20, 2018
- 2 min read
State Flags - Displaying Our Unique United States History
The designs and symbols found in the US State and Territories flags provide perspective about the politics, geography, economics and conflicts of an era and how they related to the growing United States. For example, the simplicity of the Alaska state flag, adopted while still a territory in 1927, features the Big Dipper and the North Star against a dark blue background. While the North Carolina red, white, and blue flag, designed in 1885, features a white star with the letters “N” and “C” in gold on either side, a gold scroll above displaying the date “May 20, 1775,” commemorating the “Mecklenburg Declaration of Independence”. Flags tell a story of a nation that Linda Chambers, South Mecklenburg American History teacher, wants to share.
Linda heard from a fellow teacher in her home state of Georgia about how his school’s display of state flags had become a conversation starter in the history classrooms. Linda wanted South Meck students to enjoy the bright pop of color and design the flags would provide as well as encouraging students and teachers to learn more about each flag and state’s history. She received a South Meck Foundation grant, purchasing a full set of state and territory flags from which the ten South Meck history teachers selected their favorites to display in their classrooms. As hoped for, there have already been many state flag conversation starters with teachers sharing historical aspects represented by the flags as well as students sharing their desire to learn more about certain states (and its flag) where a friend is attending college or where a relative resides.
Having been influenced by grandparents who shared stories of growing up during the Great Depression, serving in WWII, building the Sears Tower (Willis Tower) in Chicago, working for the Kennedy administration, Ms. Chambers grew to love history and our nation. This led to her graduating with a Bachelor's degree in History and Secondary Education from the University of West Georgia and teaching history at South Meck for the past seven years. Next time you are on campus, plan to stop by her American History classroom, taking a moment to learn more of “her story” for why she picked the Indiana and Georgia state flags.
Comments