Schoolchildren Get Patriotic Lesson at Murrieta Field of Honor

Murrieta resident Micaela Hollan admits she and her daughter, Marilyn, have admired the Murrieta Field of Honor—rows and rows of more than 2,000 American flags displayed at Town Square Park each November—in years past.

Wednesday morning was different; it was not just a photo opportunity.

Hollan was one of many parents seen alongside fifth-graders from the Murrieta Valley Unified School District who were on an educational visit. Over the course of this week, 1,680 fifth-graders from every school in the district will have taken a field trip to the Field of Honor—a project of the Rotary Club of Murrieta and supported by the City and numerous community sponsors.

Upon arrival, the students are given lessons at five stations manned by Rotary Club volunteers and local veterans. They are asked to complete written assignments about the history of the American flag, military ranks, medals of honor, as well as the veteran memorials that are permanently on display at Town Square Park.

Hollan and her daughter attended the Wednesday morning session with a class from Murrieta Elementary School. Classes from Cole Canyon and E. Hale Curran elementary schools were also there, creating a buzz of well-organized activity as the students went from station to station completing interactive assignments.

“It is nice to know our kids are getting more information about what this is all about,” Hollan said. “They are not just hearing a lecture and then heading back to school, they actually have assignments so they can learn that it is not about the wars, but it is about the people who served for our country so that we have the freedom we have.”

With her mother nearby, 10-year-old Marilyn wrote answers on a worksheet.

“I have learned about how people fought for our country and served for many people and how they got their medal of honor in war,” Marilyn said.

The field trip and associated lessons meet California academic standards for social studies, according to Karen Parris, spokeswoman for the Murrieta Valley Unified School District. These include: chronological and spatial thinking; research, evidence and point of view; historical interpretation; and English-Language Arts speaking applications (the students are later required to prepare oral presentations about what they learned).

Julie Pulatie, a fifth-grade teacher at Cole Canyon Elementary, explained that the Rotary Club provides the lesson packets. A stated goal is that students “will recognize that there are Murrieta citizens who served our country as veterans and who have fought for our freedom.”

One of the lessons requires students to find flags labeled with the correct information about a local veteran or active service member who has received a medal of honor.

“That brings their attention to it, rather than just walking through the flags,” Pulatie said.

Additionally, Pulatie said that during her class’ visit, they took time to remember and honor fallen Army Sgt. Clinton Keith Ruiz of Murrieta, whose mother, Carla Trease, is a teacher at Cole Canyon. Ruiz was 22 years old when he was killed in October 2012 while serving in Afghanistan.

The Murrieta Field of Honor is in its fifth year. Looking out across the sea of red, white and blue on Wednesday, Murrieta Rotarian Dennis McCarbery expressed pride at what it provides for community members of all ages.

“It really is a community event,” said McCarbery, who heads up the Field of Honor committee. “It has been quite an effort to get this moving along; it has evolved over the five years we have been here.”

Situated near the City of Murrieta’s Veterans Memorial, the field has served as a backdrop for the Murrieta Veterans Day Parade and related activities. Other associated events have included a candlelight concert Tuesday night featuring choirs from four of the city’s middle schools.

“What is really rewarding for me is when you come back another day, sometimes you see a kid walking with mom or dad or both showing them what you just taught at the flag field,” McCarbery said, about the fifth-grade program. “It is really, really cool.”

The weeklong flag display—for which residents were invited to sponsor flags in honor of local first responders, veterans or active-duty military—began Nov. 9 and runs through Saturday, Nov. 16.

Saturday will serve as a “Day of Remembrance,” with closing ceremonies scheduled to begin at 2 p.m.