Students present state legislators with flag for Lubec
Braving 11-degree temperatures, 24 seventh and eighth graders from the Lubec Consolidated School boarded a bus for the four-hour ride to the State Capitol; all had managed to make the 5:15 a.m. scheduled departure on January 19.
Braving 11‑degree temperatures, 24 seventh and eighth graders from the Lubec Consolidated School boarded a bus for the four‑hour ride to the State Capitol; all had managed to make the 5:15 a.m. scheduled departure on January 19. The journey's purpose: to present legislators with the Lubec Town Flag, which had been designed by a group of then sixth graders, all of whom were on board. Teachers Terry Murphy and Lori McLean accompanied the group, as did Lubec Historical Society member Ronald Pesha and The Quoddy Tides. Principal Tina Wormell joined the group at the State House.
Pesha, who has acted in an advisory role, has every right to be proud of this achievement, although he immediately deflects all praise towards the students -- primarily Emma Page -- for having seen this project through. When asked, Pesha denies that his persistence had anything to do with it.
The day in Augusta began with the now‑ubiquitous security scan, which meant in some cases removal of belts and setting aside of cell phones. Then the group was ushered into the Senate chamber, where they observed Senate President Kevin Raye of Perry conducting the opening ceremony. Raye, a lifetime Washington County resident, recognized the students and requested the unfurling of the flag -- the first of many times during the morning.
Then it was off to the House chamber, where Speaker Robert Nutting of Oakland was already conducting business. The students were quietly seated in the gallery. There, they witnessed voting on a couple of bills before Nutting recognized Rep. David Burns of Whiting, who read a prepared statement into the legislative record. In the statement, Burns described how the students had designed the flag, presented it to local authorities, conducted fundraising to pay for the final product, and shepherded it through the town meeting process. Burns' description earned the students a standing ovation from the House members.
Returning to the Senate chamber, both Raye and Burns greeted the group and read the Legislative Sentiment prepared to honor and acknowledge the student initiative. The entire group then followed Raye into his private office, where he led an informal chat, telling the students that each one had the potential to be the next senate president hailing from Washington County.
During the morning several of the students were interviewed on camera by Rob Poindexter of WABI‑TV; the results were aired on the evening news later the same day.
Interviewed on the bus ride home, Emma Page said that the day gave her "a better understanding of how government works," adding that it could be "a career." When asked how she felt hearing her name spoken from the podium by the senate president and from the House floor, she replied, "Cool."
The project began nearly two years ago when Pesha asked the students how they could support the then upcoming Lubec bicentennial, celebrated in 2011. Pesha reports that it was a comment by Emma Page that started the ball rolling. The original team included Emma, Seth Doherty, Robert Wallace, Stephanie Wright and Austin Serrato. The group later expanded when others signed on to help conduct fund-raising activities.
In April 2011 the students presented the flag to the Lubec Board of Selectmen, who put it on the warrant for the town meeting for public consideration. During that meeting select board Chairman Bill Daye commented that it was important that, to be official, the flag gain voter approval, pointing out, "What we decide will be here for the next 200 years."
It was first shown publicly at the Lubec birthday party, then it flew at the Fourth of July celebration at Monument Lot, where Page was congratulated by U.S. Senator Susan Collins and other elected officials. During the August town meeting voters approved the design by a near‑unanimous vote.
The trip to Augusta to receive the Legislative Sentiment is only the next step in the process of bringing the flag to life, according to Pesha. Next up: arranging funding to procure a supply of flags, so that the flag can be properly displayed at the town office, offered for sale to the public, and to reciprocate the gift of a flag to the sister‑city of Lubeck, Germany.