Gary Burkeen of Stockbridge said teaching young people how to display and store the American Flag would give them a deeper perspective about their country.

  “The flag means something,” he said. “It teaches them the importance of what the flag is all about. It should mean more than just a piece of cloth.”

  Burkeen served 22 1/2 years in the U.S. Army, retiring as a sergeant first class in 2000. His grandson, Josiah Summers, is in third grade at Woodland Elementary School.

  Burkeen approached the school in the last school year about constructing a display box for the American Flag when it is not in use. The purpose of the endeavor, he said, was to emphasize the importance of patriotism and honor those who have served in the military.

  “The school teaches these students how to properly install the flags each day, and how to store the flags at the end of each day,” said Burkeen. “That was where I thought this display case would teach them how to show respect for the flag. I thought this might be a nice addition to their learning.

  Burkeen said the COVID-19 pandemic delayed completion of the project.

  “It just took some time to get everything together because of all the things that have happened in the last year,” he said.

  Doug Lee is a trainer for the  construction pathway at the Henry County Academy for Advanced Studies in McDonough. Lee and his Carpentry I students took on the flag display project last year, prior to the pandemic.

  Lee said he was eager to assist in bringing the display case to Woodland Elementary.

  “Here at the academy, we really like to get involved with projects that benefit another school in the county,” said Lee. “We have students from all of the other county high schools who come here daily, so that was another motivating factor. Twenty-seven students had their hands on it from design to completion. It’s also got some graphics and a poem that our graphics instructor Mr. Chad Drake did. They like all kinds of projects like that, and the fact that it was for the flag added something to it.”

  Lee said another source of his motivation for the project is to honor his daughter, Army Sgt. Cynthia Dooley, who is stationed in Fairbanks, Alaska.

  Two of Lee’s 2019 high school graduates — Melic Reid of Henry County High School, and Quori Alexander of Luella High School, completed the project. The display case measures three inches deep, 20 inches high and 37 inches long, and features the school colors of red, black and white. The case is made of medium density fiber board with a plexiglass front, magnet latches and metal hardware, said Lee.

  “We ended up with a good finished product, I thought,” said Lee.

  Derrick Thomas, principal at Woodland Elementary for the last three years, said Burkeen is one of the “most engaged grandparents” of students at the school. Thomas applauded Burkeen’s desire to display and store the flag properly, and said the display case will help to instill a sense of pride in the country for his students.

  “I was in agreement that if we teach our kids to honor and respect the flag in flight, we should teach them to honor and respect the flag in storage,” said Thomas. “I was extremely impressed. It’s really going to help with teaching our young people to respect the flag. I just liken it to a nice piece of steak being served on a paper plate, or on fine china. With this case, our flag is being served and stored on fine china.”

  Thomas said he is looking forward to making the case available for his ­­students to enjoy in the near future.