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QuickTake:
Second-grade teacher Mary Riggs of Twin Oaks Elementary was named Teacher of the Year by the Oregon chapter of The American Legion. The organization plans to use a curriculum Riggs helped create to teach students about honoring the American flag and expressing gratitude to veterans.
As a child, Mary Riggs was surrounded by military culture. She came from a long line of veterans and grew up on a naval base in Lemoore, California.
Now a second-grade teacher at Twin Oaks Elementary School in her 21st year of teaching, Riggs was honored Sept. 30 as the Oregon chapter of the American Legion’s Teacher of the Year for her commitment to teaching her students about veterans and the American flag.
The Eugene School District 4J elementary teacher is a member of the American Legion Auxiliary, an organization for the families of military members that works to support military members. For the past four years, Riggs has invited members of the veterans honor society Forty and Eight to her classroom around Veterans Day for a presentation.
Veterans teach her students about the history of how the American flag was made, the meaning of the stars and stripes, how the flag is folded, cared for and honored according to military tradition and what being a veteran means. Each student also receives a flag.
“We talk a lot about how to, when you meet someone in the military, or that has served in the military, to always remember to thank them for their service, and to honor them, because they really are the backbone to our safety in our country, and it’s important that we honor their sacrifices,” Riggs said.
Riggs also shares her own story with her students of being a daughter and wife of Navy veterans, and organizes a “veterans wall” for Twin Oaks for anyone who wants to participate.
Students and staff can put a star with the name of a loved one who served in the military on the wall to honor their service. The wall also honors any veterans among the school’s staff, Riggs said.
The curriculum used by Forty and Eight to educate her students about veterans and the flag was co-created by Riggs. This curriculum will soon be used by The American Legion and Forty and Eight to teach other early elementary students in Oregon and nationwide.
