Maple Grove High School’s Advanced Placement Government and Politics students and their teacher, Kim Rizzo, recently planted American flags at the grave sites of fallen military service members, part of their class service project, at Bemus Point Cemetery. Submitted photo.

BEMUS POINT — Maple Grove High School’s Advanced Placement Government and Politics students did their part to ensure all honors were rendered to our nation’s fallen by placing American flags at individual gravesites this week at Bemus Point Cemetery.

“Every year I require my AP class to do a community project, and one of my students suggested we place flags at the gravesites, here in Bemus Point,” said Patty Rizzo, the AP teacher for Maple Grove Junior/Senior High School. “We partnered with the local American Legion Post 947 with the flag placements, and we may do another project with them in the future.”

Additionally, representatives from the local American Legion, Bemus Point, Post 947 were more than happy to help with this project and became emotional when talking about it.

“I can’t say enough positive things about this class, the students and their teacher,” said Denny Harvey, the Post 947 commander and veteran of the Vietnam War. “To go from what we came home to after the war – being protested and spit on – to seeing the future of our country, honoring our fallen heroes, is remarkable and I’m so proud of these kids. They planted these flags one at a time with reverence.”

However, the Maple Grove students and Rizzo aren’t done quite yet. The students are planning a more lofty, new project, to honor those laid to rest at the cemetery.

“We’re looking at making a map with all the locations of veterans in the cemetery – pinpoint– easy to find locations,” she said.

When told about the upcoming project, Harvey grew teary eyed.

“Like I said … It’s like night and day from when (we) returned home,” he said. “These kids are great Americans and great future leaders of our nation.”

Decoration Day was observed in the United States as a tribute to the fallen Confederate soldiers of the civil war, who had no tombstone or gravestone markings. During the Civil War. However, in 1971 the federal government expanded this day to include all fallen U.S. armed-forces members and called it Memorial Day.

Every year, Memorial Day is held on the last Monday in the month of May. This holiday pays homage, respect and honor to the fallen soldiers, sailors, airmen, marines, coast guardsman and national guardsman who’ve fallen in service to our nation.