Friday, Feb. 26, 2010

Merced County supervisor donates flag to Westside School

Principal Joe McColloch said Westside Union Elementary School has a new American flag to hang in its campus gymnasium thanks to Merced County Supervisor Jerry O'Banion.

On Feb. 4, O'Banion visited the school and presented McColloch and Carrie O'Banion-Miller's fifth-grade class with a flag that had flown over the U.S. Capitol building in Washington, D.C.

"When Jerry came out for career day, he told me about our flag. It was old and we needed a new one," McColloch said. "He mentioned he'd do this for us. And we're so appreciative."

O'Banion was able to obtain the flag through working with Congressman Dennis Cardoza, who sent a certificate to Westside that proclaimed when the flag was flown in the schools' honor at the Capitol building, which O'Banion said is the significance of the presentation.

"They take down the flag after flying it for one day and send it to us," Carrie O'Banion-Miller said. O'Banion-Miller is the supervisor's daughter.

After a presentation ceremony in front of the school, O'Banion visited where the flag was going to be hung.

"It's an honor to present a new flag to a school where students and staff are striving for excellence," O'Banion said to Westside staff. "I think the students are very excited about it."

While spending time with O'Banion-Miller's class, O'Banion answered questions from students and said he was impressed with how knowledge the students were about the United States government.

"I was so excited to hold the new flag," Octavio Deluna, a fifth-grader in O'Banion-Miller's class, said. "I found out some new stuff, too."

McColloch said the school is very appreciate of O'Banion's help and contribution to the campus.

"It's an honor to get a flag that was flown at the capitol, for Jerry to go out of his way to make sure Westside got the flag," McColloch said.

O'Banion said he's hoping to speak with state legislators to get a California state flag for Westside, also.