MARBLEHEAD — Rows of bright red poppies now line a grassy stretch in town after students at Marblehead Village Elementary School spent weeks coloring, cutting, and assembling nearly 1,807 handmade flowers to honor veterans ahead of Memorial Day.
The project, now in its seventh year, was created as part of a poetry and history unit centered on the famous World War I poem “In Flanders Fields” by Lt. Col. John McCrae. Students attached each paper poppy to a popsicle stick before placing them in the ground as a tribute to fallen service members.
“It’s important for them to be able to connect history and poetry to real life,” organizer and educator Katherine Deely said. “When you can connect the curriculum, it makes it even more meaningful. You can teach them, but when they do it, they learn it. They remember it.”
Deely said the project involved 42 students from the DCC team at Village and took nearly two months to complete.
“I’d say most of April and May,” she said. “They put a lot of heart and soul into it.”
As students carefully placed the poppies into the grass, many reflected on the meaning behind the display and the importance of honoring veterans.
“I think the town should do this at every school and house,” student Luke Taylor said. “Or you should show some sort of appreciation.”
Student Tegan Thompson said the project made veterans feel “cared for and loved,” adding that “that makes me happy.”
Student Tessa Obradovic said, “We should all show some sort of appreciation.”
Veterans and community members visiting the display said the tribute carried a powerful emotional impact.
“It just shows that we’re not forgotten,” said Ronny Knight, the commander of the VFW. “To have them take the time to do this is really inspiring.”
Last year, students created a similar Memorial Day display using flags, which veterans visited during both the day and night, he said.
“Some of the veterans came and cried, in the evening when no one was around, because they remembered somebody who didn’t make it home,” he said.
Veterans Agent Roseann Trionfi-Mazzuchelli said, “These kids are just amazing. We are all here to pay our respects.” She added that Marblehead has between 1,600 and 1,700 veterans in town.
Calvin Titus, a Marine Corps veteran who served a nine-month tour in Vietnam from March to December 1970, before continuing in the active reserves until 1971. He later reenlisted and served from 1977 to 1979 at Camp Lejeune, attaining the rank of Corporal.
Titus, who recently received recognition by the state for Military Appreciation Day because of his service and commitment to the community, said seeing young people participate in projects like the poppy display gives him hope.
“It’s nice to see them be involved,” Titus said. “What they’re learning and what they’re doing outside of teaching, they’re doing a very nice thing.”
The students’ handmade poppies will remain on display through Memorial Day weekend as a reminder of the sacrifices made by veterans and fallen service members.
“It’s a great way to start summer,” Deely said, “but there’s a meaning behind it.”
