COMMITTEE REVEALS THS FLAG HISTORY

MAY 1, 1963

TRANSCRIBED BY : TINA EASLEY

THE STORY OF OUR SCHOOL FLAG HAS A VARIED AND INTERESTING HISTORY. THE IDEA OF A SCHOOL FLAG WAS CONCEIVED AT THE STUDENT COUNCIL WORKSHIP , AUGUST 14 -18 , 1961 . AT CONWAY , ARKANSAS ON THE CAMPUS OF ARKANSAS TEACHERS COLLEGE . THE STUDENT COUNCIL OFFICERS ATTENDING THAT YEAR WERE GLEN LAMB , PRESIDENT , RONALD BRITT , VICE PRESIDENT , AND JANE NELMS , SECRETARY AND MRS. O.B. SCOTT , SPONSOR.

THIS PROJECT WAS TURNED OVER TO THE PRESIDENT'S ROUNDTABLE . IT WAS DECIDED THAT THE FLAG SHOULD BE PROMOTED BY THE WHOLE SCHOOL.

THE FIRST STEP WAS TO SECURE A DESIGN. A SCHOOL -WIDE CONTEST WAS HELD ; A TOTAL OF TWENTY-FIVE ENTRIES WERE TURNED IN . FROM THESE ENTRIES TWO WERE CHOSEN . THE ROUNDTABLE DECIDED THE TWO WINNING ENTRIES DRAWN BY JEP BLANKENSHIP AND CHARLES SMITH WERE TO BE COMBINED . THESE WERE THEN SENT TO FLAGHOUSE INCORPORATED , NEW YORK CITY. THE COMPANY INTURN SENT TWO LAYOUTS FROM WHICH TO CHOOSE.

THE LAYOUT CHOSEN FORMED THE FLAG WITH A WHITE BACKGROUND AND A UNION COMPOSED OF GREEN ST. ANDREWS CROSS WITH A GREENE COUNTY TECH IN GOLD LETTERING WITH THE CROSS. A GOLDEN EAGLE WAS PLACED AT THE INTERSECTION OF THE CROSS.

ABOVE THE EAGLE WERE FOUR STARS WHICH REPRESENTED THE FOUR GRADES AT TECH -

NINTH , TENTH , ELEVENTH AND TWELFTH

AND BELOW THE EAGLES WERE SIX STARS REPRESENTING THE WING SCHOOLS -

WALCOTT , GREENE COUNTY , ALEXANDER , LAKESIDE , BEECH GROVE AND LIGHT.

THE COLORS WERE TO HAVE THESE MEANINGS;

WHITE - SEARCH FOR TRUTH

GREEN - FAITH IN THE FUTURE

GOLD - MATURITY WHICH BRINGS WISDOM AND RICHES

NEXT CAME THE PROMBLEM OF PREPARING A PLEDGE FOR THE FLAG , ALL THE ENGLISH CLASSES WERE TO WRITE A PLEDGE. THESE PLEDGES WERE GIVEN TO THE ROUNDTABLE , THE ROUNDTABLE NARROWED THE PLEDGES DOWN TO TEN. A COMMITTEE CHOSEN BOTH OF FACULTY AND STUDENT PRESIDENTS THEN NARROWED IT DOWN TO THREE PLEDGES. THE THREE REMAINING PLEDGES WERE AGAIN PRESENTED BEFORE THE PRESIDENT'S ROUNDTABLE AND WAS NARROWED DOWN TO TWO. THE TWO WINNING PLEDGES WRITTEN BY DORIS GLADISH AND SAMMYE MCMILLON WERE COMBINED.

" PLEDGE TO THE FLAG "

I DO SOLEMNLY PROMISE TO BE LOYAL TO OUR FLAG AND TO THE PURPOSE FOR WHICH IT STANDS ,

TO EDUCATE MENTALLY , PHYSICALLY , SOCIALLY , AND MORALLY .

I WILL STRIVE TO PROMOTE THE NAME OF OUR SCHOOL AND WILL DO MY UTMOST TO FULFILL ALL RESPONSIBILITIES PLACED BEFORE ME IN ORDER TO MAKE OUR SCHOOL A BETTER PLACE FOR EVERYONE.