Through These Halls: junior Taylor Kaddouri creates petition to say the Pledge of Allegiance every day
Students have been reciting the Pledge of Allegiance in schools since 1942 and to this day, the pledge symbolizes a promise we make to be true to our country along the freedom that we have as Americans. When you begin school, you are taught the pledge and then continue to recite it every morning; usually going along with morning announcements. If students choose not to join, their decision is respected. In the Rockwood School District, students recite the pledge every morning until you get to high school, then things change. At Lafayette we say the pledge once a week.
After losing a close family friend in war, junior Taylor Kaddouri got the confidence to make a petition wishing that Lafayette recites the pledge every morning instead of just once a week.
Being someone who doesn’t like to speak in front of crowds or large groups of people, it took more than just self-assurance to ask her fellow classmates to support her. “I’ve gotten a lot of people looking at me like, ‘Really? Why are you even doing this?’ That’s where I started but this was something I believed in” Kaddouri said.
This has been on Kaddouri’s mind for a while but it took something tragic to happen for her to actually do it. “I’ve wanted to do this since my freshman year but I was scared to. And when my friend didn’t come back I knew I should do this,” Kaddouri said.
“I got 107 [signatures] in my classes alone. And someone from my sociology class took it around during lunch. I have a blocked study hall so that gave me a lot of time to go around to different classes,” said Kaddouri.
She started out with all of her classes, standing in front of everyone explaining her reasoning behind this and then asking them to sign the petition. Kaddouri further explained how she knows some people may think this is stupid and you can sign the petition if you want to.
Kaddouri turned in the petition to Principal John Shaughnessy with a total of 468 signatures and 7 teachers also signed. Shaughnessy took the petition to heart and now every morning the Pledge of Allegiance will be recited during first hour. Announcements will continue to take place during third hour everyday.
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