Throughout America, Schools Recite Simultaneous Pledge of Allegiance
Vermilion South Street School teacher, upper left, and her kindergarten students in Vermilion, Ohio, say the Pledge of Allegiance.
CHICAGO — With bombing continuing in Afghanistan and the United States on high alert, students across the nation took time from their afternoon studies Friday to simultaneously recite the Pledge of Allegiance.
For some students, it was a chance to learn what the pledge means. Fourth-graders at Guiteras Elementary School in Bristol, R.I., spent the morning before the pledge discussing the meaning of "allegiance" and "indivisible."
"I think it's for freedom. It means I promise to be a loyal American," said Christian Babic, a fourth-grader who moved to the United States from his native Germany 18 months ago.
The voluntary effort, supported by Education Secretary Rod Paige, was initiated by Paula Burton, a retired California teacher who has been holding an annual "Pledge Across America" for the past decade with only scattered participation until recently.
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