SHERMAN - Sherman Central School students recently participated in Meet You at the Pole day.
Students gathered to pray for their school, its staff, the students and their country. Since it was raining, 50 students gathered around the Sherman Wildcats circle in the center of the gym instead of outside. A few parents and Michael Ginestre, the new school principal, also attended.
Kevin Gleason and Holly Eliason spoke briefly to the youth about their purpose. Gleason then instructed them as to how they would spend the time praying. All those attending held hands and formed a circle around the Sherman Wildcats design on the floor and began to pray. Students undoubtedly focused their prayer on Clymer Central School administration, teachers, staff, students, village and the family of Keith Reed Jr., the Clymer superintendent who was recently killed. Then the students gathered in separate groups and continued praying.
Article Photos
Pictured below at top, student Kevin Gleason gives instruction to Sherman students at Meet You At the Pole in the school gym. Sherman students gather in groups to pray at meet you at the pole recently in the school auditorium. Pictured at bottom, Sherman students enjoy doughnuts and cocoa after praying at meet me at the pole recently in the school gym.
Photos by Elaine Cole
Following the prayer time, the students gathered in the foyer for doughnuts and hot cocoa before going to their classrooms.
See You at the Pole is a student-led event in which students meet at their school's flagpole before school on the fourth Wednesday of every September to pray for their school, the students, teacher, government and the nation. The event began in 1990 with some teens in Burleson, Texas. One Saturday night, they felt compelled to pray and went to three different schools and prayed at each school's flagpole. Then a challenge was issued to students throughout Texas to meet at their flagpoles and pray simultaneously. At 7 a.m. Sept. 12, 1999, more than 45,000 students met at their flagpoles to pray before school.
The concept grew from there. Word spread quickly across the country and youth ministers reported that students outside of Texas had heard about the event and were feeling the same burden for their schools as those Texas students had. Today, that number has grown to 3 million students in the U.S. and there are also students in 20 other countries that participate in the event.