Thursday, June 4, 2015, current staff, former staff, and alumni gathered at the Gladbrook campus for a flag lowering service, as had been done for 134 years. “According to my 4th grade math,if there were 180 days in each school year and the flag has waved each school day for 134 years, that would be 23,520 days that the flag has flown”, commented Kay Lowry.

Organized by Kay Lowry, former Gladbrook Elementary teacher, and several others, Lowry welcomed everyone and gave a short history of the Gladbrook School taken from the 1980 Gladbrook Centennial Book. “Our town was incorporated in 1881 and by law, we became the Independent District of Gladbrook. The first school was built here, described the book, as on a beautiful elevation in the south part of town, at a cost of $8,000.00. The two-story frame building contained three rooms with three grades in each room, known as the Graded Village School. By 1892, it housed all 12 grades and as time passed, several additions were built. The book tells of a “splendid toilet system” built during the 1908-09 school year. Additions in 1916 and 1929 were built with bricks from our local Gethmann Brick Yard. The pool was our latest addition in 1967.” Lowry went on to say, ” Many of you, are parents and grandparents and you came yearly to watch the flag raising ceremony on the first day of school. Teachers and students know the raising and lowering of the flag is part of the daily routine. It’s been a teaching tool, as we repeated the pledge each morning and learned flag etiquette. Another teaching time came as the students noticed the flag flying at half-mast and we reflected on current events. It was lowered when we lost an Iowan in the service, a president’s death, the disaster of the Challenger explosion, and 911, to name a few. When not at half-mast, we always knew the flag would be flying high again the next day. It helped make us a community, the school community, the commradery among school families. Families were cared for, nurtured, and supported in good times and hard times.” A school is more than a building.

“Today, we honor this flag as we honor this school, as we reflect on the school building, which housed families and children of our community. This school has watched generations pass through its halls. During the different seasons, the flag stood proudly reminding us of our freedom and liberty.”

There was a moment of silence as the flag was lowered at the end of the 2014-2015 school year by Darrell Paustian, custodian for 27 years at the Gladbrook school and Jeanne Paustian, President of the Gladbrook Auxiliary. The Gladbrook Auxilairy donates the flags every year and has conducted the annual Flag Raising ceremony on the first day of school for 73 years. The flag will be placed along with the State of Iowa and P.O.W. flags in the Gladbrook Museum, located on the second floor of the Gladbrook City Centre. Hopefully, some day, the flag will fly high once again on the Gladbrook School campus.