Paying Respect to the Lives America Lost
Lowering our flags as part of a national memorial
The United States flag in front of the Abington Middle-High School, waves at half-staff on February 25, 2021.
February 26, 2021
This week, you may or may not have noticed that the two American flags near the Abington Middle School and High School were flown at half-staff; they were not raised to the top of their poles.
You may have also heard that the United States has recently surpassed 500,000 deaths from the COVID-19 pandemic.
To pay respects to the people who make up this once-unimaginable loss, Massachusetts Governor Charles Baker has ordered that the United States of America Flag in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts shall be flown at half-staff at all state buildings, including the public schools.
This memorial began last Monday and will continue until sunset tonight on Friday, February 26, 2021.
Governor Baker’s order is in accordance with President Biden’s order to lower all flags on federal buildings across the country to half-staff for five days.
Loading ...No matter how far America is down the path to normalcy, we must acknowledge that the death toll is still rising. It does not just represent individual losses to individual families; it represents a loss to our entire society.
Students and faculty at Abington High School are still taking measures to sanitize the building and keep each other safe. As we work to ensure that COVID-19 will no longer spread across the school, these flags remind us of the unfortunate lives we lost in the process.
Jonathan Bourn • Feb 26, 2021 at 5:26 PM
Hi James,
Thank you for bringing attention to this important and somber matter in our nation’s history. Thank you for bringing it home to AHS (always a good journalism tool) about how important it is that we continue to wear masks, wash hands, and follow our safety protocols.
Regards,
Mr. Bourn
Harry Brooks • Feb 26, 2021 at 4:30 PM
Loved the article because it’s shows that we the people have great respect for all who passed and for the families who have lost their loved ones.Stop and look at the flag and say a short prayer to yourself May they all R.I.P.